Verisk Analytics (NASDAQ:VRSK) Sets New 52-Week High Following Dividend Announcement

Verisk Analytics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSK) shares reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday following a dividend announcement from the company. The company traded as high as $247.14 and last traded at $246.14, with a volume of 164483 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $245.01.

The newly announced dividend which will be paid on Friday, September 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.34 per share. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 14th. Verisk Analytics’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.09%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on VRSK shares. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Verisk Analytics from $229.00 to $238.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Verisk Analytics from $225.00 to $260.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Verisk Analytics from $215.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 20th. Barclays raised their price target on Verisk Analytics from $250.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Verisk Analytics from $201.00 to $219.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 3rd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $236.31.

Verisk Analytics Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $35.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 74.02, a P/E/G ratio of 3.98 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 9.29. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $233.71 and a 200 day moving average of $213.47.

Verisk Analytics (NASDAQ:VRSK) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 2nd. The business services provider reported $1.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $675.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $653.13 million. Verisk Analytics had a return on equity of 83.76% and a net margin of 18.64%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Verisk Analytics, Inc. will post 5.71 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Verisk Analytics news, insider Kathy Card Beckles sold 396 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $222.13, for a total value of $87,963.48. Following the transaction, the insider now directly 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 available at the SEC website. In other news, insider Kathy Card Beckles sold 396 shares of Verisk Analytics stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $222.13, for a total transaction of $87,963.48. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 7,066 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,569,570.58. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Nicholas Daffan sold 1,564 shares of Verisk Analytics stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.75, for a total value of $356,201.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 41,607 shares in the company, valued at $9,475,994.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 16,121 shares of company stock valued at $3,743,473. Insiders own 1.31% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Verisk Analytics by 153.1% in the 2nd quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 124 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Arlington Partners LLC purchased a new position in Verisk Analytics in the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in Verisk Analytics by 67.5% in the 2nd quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 134 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Verisk Analytics by 61.2% in the 2nd quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. now owns 137 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new position in Verisk Analytics in the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. 90.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.