Verisk Analytics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSK) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Verisk Analytics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSK) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $237.20.

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley set a $230.00 price target on Verisk Analytics in a report on Thursday, February 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on Verisk Analytics from $239.00 to $206.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Verisk Analytics from $260.00 to $220.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Verisk Analytics in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Verisk Analytics from $223.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd.

Verisk Analytics Stock Performance

Shares of VRSK opened at $182.75 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $199.23 and a two-hundred day moving average of $218.68. The stock has a market cap of $25.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.16, a PEG ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.42, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 1.20. Verisk Analytics has a one year low of $164.60 and a one year high of $322.92.

Verisk Analytics (NASDAQ:VRSK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The business services provider reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.60 by $0.22. Verisk Analytics had a net margin of 29.56% and a return on equity of 357.00%. The business had revenue of $778.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $773.74 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.61 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Verisk Analytics has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.450-7.75 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Verisk Analytics will post 6.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Verisk Analytics declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, February 18th that authorizes the company to repurchase $2.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the business services provider to buy up to 10.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Verisk Analytics Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. This is a boost from Verisk Analytics’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. Verisk Analytics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.82%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Verisk Analytics news, CFO Elizabeth Mann sold 400 shares of Verisk Analytics stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.71, for a total transaction of $81,884.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 20,384 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,172,808.64. This trade represents a 1.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Christopher John Perry purchased 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The shares were bought at an average price of $180.00 per share, for a total transaction of $180,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 2,994 shares in the company, valued at $538,920. This represents a 50.15% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.46% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in Verisk Analytics in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. AlphaCore Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Verisk Analytics during the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund acquired a new stake in shares of Verisk Analytics in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Verisk Analytics in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Osterweis Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Verisk Analytics in the second quarter worth $28,000. 90.00% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Verisk Analytics

Verisk Analytics, Inc (NASDAQ: VRSK) is a data analytics and decision‑support provider that helps organizations assess and manage risk. The company supplies data, predictive models and software to customers in insurance, reinsurance, financial services, government, energy and other commercial markets. Its offerings are designed to support underwriting, pricing, claims management, catastrophe modeling, fraud detection and regulatory compliance, enabling clients to make more informed operational and strategic decisions.

Verisk’s product portfolio combines large proprietary datasets with analytics platforms and industry‑specific applications.