Choreo LLC Takes $1.21 Million Position in Verisk Analytics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSK)

Choreo LLC purchased a new position in shares of Verisk Analytics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSK) during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 4,513 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,211,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Gilbert & Cook Inc. grew its holdings in Verisk Analytics by 8.5% in the fourth quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 3,416 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $816,000 after purchasing an additional 267 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC grew its stake in Verisk Analytics by 9.0% in the 4th quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 2,684 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $641,000 after acquiring an additional 222 shares during the period. Westpac Banking Corp grew its stake in Verisk Analytics by 94.8% in the 4th quarter. Westpac Banking Corp now owns 1,243 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $297,000 after acquiring an additional 605 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in Verisk Analytics by 10.7% in the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 153,641 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $36,367,000 after acquiring an additional 14,865 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC raised its position in Verisk Analytics by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 9,433 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,253,000 after acquiring an additional 220 shares during the period. 90.00% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Verisk Analytics Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of Verisk Analytics stock opened at $269.37 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $271.83 and a 200 day moving average of $253.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.86, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 0.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.26, a PEG ratio of 3.44 and a beta of 0.86. Verisk Analytics, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $215.32 and a fifty-two week high of $287.13.

Verisk Analytics (NASDAQ:VRSK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The business services provider reported $1.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.64 by $0.10. Verisk Analytics had a return on equity of 252.11% and a net margin of 32.03%. The business had revenue of $716.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $722.45 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.51 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Verisk Analytics, Inc. will post 6.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Verisk Analytics Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Sunday, September 15th will be issued a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.58%. Verisk Analytics’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.10%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Verisk Analytics news, insider Kathy Card Beckles sold 326 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $272.22, for a total value of $88,743.72. Following the sale, the insider now owns 7,470 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,033,483.40. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, insider Kathy Card Beckles sold 326 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $272.22, for a total transaction of $88,743.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 7,470 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,033,483.40. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Elizabeth Mann sold 200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $277.38, for a total transaction of $55,476.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 16,408 shares in the company, valued at $4,551,251.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 726 shares of company stock valued at $196,682. Company insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on VRSK shares. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Verisk Analytics to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 13th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Verisk Analytics from $268.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Verisk Analytics from $278.00 to $263.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Verisk Analytics from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Verisk Analytics from $255.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Verisk Analytics presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $273.54.

Verisk Analytics Profile

Verisk Analytics, Inc provides data analytics and technology solutions to the insurance markets in the United States and internationally. It offers policy language, prospective loss costs, policy writing and rating rules, and various underwriting solutions for risk selection and segmentation, pricing, and workflow optimization; property- and auto- specific rating and underwriting information solutions that allows clients to understand, quantify, underwrite, mitigate, and avoid potential loss for risks; catastrophe modeling solutions, which enables companies to identify, quantify, and plan for the financial consequences of catastrophes for use by insurers, reinsurers, intermediaries, financial institutions, and governments.