Russell Investments Group Ltd. Sells 5,208 Shares of Verisk Analytics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSK)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. trimmed its position in Verisk Analytics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSK – Get Rating) by 11.6% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 39,795 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 5,208 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Verisk Analytics were worth $7,023,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VRSK. Fiduciary Alliance LLC bought a new position in Verisk Analytics during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Capital Directions Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Verisk Analytics during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Verisk Analytics during the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Verisk Analytics by 606.5% during the fourth quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 219 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 188 shares during the period. Finally, Valley National Advisers Inc. raised its position in shares of Verisk Analytics by 36.3% in the third quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 233 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.89% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on VRSK. StockNews.com started coverage on Verisk Analytics in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Raymond James upped their price target on shares of Verisk Analytics from $195.00 to $225.00 in a report on Thursday, May 4th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Verisk Analytics from $206.00 to $225.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 4th. TheStreet lowered Verisk Analytics from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Verisk Analytics from $210.00 to $250.00 in a research report on Thursday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Verisk Analytics presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $215.50.

Verisk Analytics Stock Down 0.1 %

NASDAQ:VRSK opened at $215.01 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 35.65, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.89. Verisk Analytics, Inc. has a one year low of $156.05 and a one year high of $216.60. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $192.19 and its 200 day simple moving average is $183.25. The company has a market cap of $31.13 billion, a PE ratio of 67.19, a P/E/G ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 0.86.

Verisk Analytics (NASDAQ:VRSK – Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 3rd. The business services provider reported $1.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $651.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $633.56 million. Verisk Analytics had a net margin of 18.19% and a return on equity of 57.53%. Verisk Analytics’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.34 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Verisk Analytics, Inc. will post 5.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Verisk Analytics Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 14th. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.63%. Verisk Analytics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 42.50%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Verisk Analytics news, Director David B. Wright sold 4,912 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.37, for a total transaction of $895,801.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 14,909 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,718,954.33. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Verisk Analytics news, Director Wendy E. Lane bought 1,037 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 8th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $209.78 per share, with a total value of $217,541.86. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,057 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $431,517.46. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director David B. Wright sold 4,912 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.37, for a total value of $895,801.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 14,909 shares in the company, valued at $2,718,954.33. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 16,056 shares of company stock valued at $2,904,589 over the last ninety days. 1.31% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Verisk Analytics

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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.