Verisk Analytics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSK) Director Christopher M. Foskett Sells 6,733 Shares

Verisk Analytics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSK – Get Rating) Director Christopher M. Foskett sold 6,733 shares of Verisk Analytics stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total transaction of $1,211,940.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 20,327 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,658,860. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Verisk Analytics Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of Verisk Analytics stock opened at $180.87 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a current ratio of 0.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.98 billion, a PE ratio of 30.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.84. Verisk Analytics, Inc. has a 52-week low of $156.05 and a 52-week high of $222.11. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $180.11 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $178.61.

Verisk Analytics (NASDAQ:VRSK – Get Rating) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, March 1st. The business services provider reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.17 by $0.26. The company had revenue of $630.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $615.30 million. Verisk Analytics had a net margin of 32.92% and a return on equity of 41.53%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.47 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Verisk Analytics, Inc. will post 5.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Verisk Analytics Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 15th will be given a $0.34 dividend. This is a positive change from Verisk Analytics’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 14th. Verisk Analytics’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.81%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Redburn Partners assumed coverage on shares of Verisk Analytics in a research report on Wednesday, January 11th. They set a “sell” rating for the company. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Verisk Analytics from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 2nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Verisk Analytics from $181.00 to $186.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 2nd. Raymond James lifted their price target on shares of Verisk Analytics from $185.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 2nd. Finally, Credit Suisse Group lifted their price target on shares of Verisk Analytics from $165.00 to $187.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, March 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Verisk Analytics has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $201.09.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Verisk Analytics

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Macquarie Group Ltd. raised its stake in Verisk Analytics by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Macquarie Group Ltd. now owns 294,389 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $51,937,000 after purchasing an additional 6,653 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in shares of Verisk Analytics by 13.7% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,975 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $348,000 after acquiring an additional 238 shares during the period. National Pension Service raised its stake in shares of Verisk Analytics by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. National Pension Service now owns 197,547 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $34,851,000 after acquiring an additional 5,429 shares during the period. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Verisk Analytics in the fourth quarter worth about $665,000. Finally, Strait & Sound Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Verisk Analytics in the fourth quarter worth about $400,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.89% of the company’s stock.

Verisk Analytics Company Profile

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Verisk Analytics, Inc engages in the provision of data analytics services. It serves insurance customers and focuses on the prediction of loss, the selection and pricing of risk, and compliance. The company was founded in 1971 and is headquartered in Jersey City, NJ.