Stephens Investment Management Group LLC lifted its stake in Verisk Analytics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSK – Free Report) by 6.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 336,956 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 21,081 shares during the quarter. Verisk Analytics makes up approximately 1.1% of Stephens Investment Management Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC owned approximately 0.23% of Verisk Analytics worth $64,648,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Arlington Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Verisk Analytics in the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Verisk Analytics in the first quarter valued at about $30,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Verisk Analytics by 178.7% in the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 170 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Verisk Analytics in the second quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV grew its holdings in Verisk Analytics by 80.6% during the first quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 195 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.81% of the company’s stock.
Verisk Analytics Trading Down 0.3 %
Shares of Verisk Analytics stock traded down $0.78 during trading on Friday, hitting $244.38. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 550,027 shares, compared to its average volume of 718,116. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 9.29, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 1.07. Verisk Analytics, Inc. has a 52 week low of $162.94 and a 52 week high of $246.24. The stock has a market cap of $35.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 73.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.98 and a beta of 0.83. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $233.26 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $212.70.
Verisk Analytics (NASDAQ:VRSK – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 2nd. The business services provider reported $1.51 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.11. Verisk Analytics had a net margin of 18.64% and a return on equity of 83.76%. The company had revenue of $675.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $653.13 million. Equities research analysts anticipate that Verisk Analytics, Inc. will post 5.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Verisk Analytics Announces Dividend
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 29th. Investors of record on Friday, September 15th will be paid a $0.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 14th. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.56%. Verisk Analytics’s dividend payout ratio is 41.09%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Verisk Analytics from $201.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Verisk Analytics from $215.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, July 20th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of Verisk Analytics in a report on Thursday, August 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Verisk Analytics from $225.00 to $260.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 3rd. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Verisk Analytics from $250.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 3rd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $236.31.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on VRSK
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, insider Kathy Card Beckles sold 396 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $222.13, for a total value of $87,963.48. Following the sale, the insider now owns 7,066 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,569,570.58. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Verisk Analytics news, insider Kathy Card Beckles sold 396 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $222.13, for a total transaction of $87,963.48. Following the sale, the insider now owns 7,066 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,569,570.58. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Nicholas Daffan sold 1,532 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.12, for a total transaction of $360,203.84. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 42,371 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,962,269.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 17,682 shares of company stock valued at $4,085,894 over the last 90 days. 1.31% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Verisk Analytics Company Profile
Verisk Analytics, Inc provides data analytics solutions to the insurance markets in the United States and internationally. The company provides predictive analytics and decision support solutions to customers in rating, underwriting, claims, catastrophe and weather risk, global risk analytics, and various other fields.
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