NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC Buys 92 Shares of Verisk Analytics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSK)

NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC raised its stake in Verisk Analytics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSK) by 1.5% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 6,069 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the period. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC’s holdings in Verisk Analytics were worth $1,636,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in Verisk Analytics during the first quarter valued at $28,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Verisk Analytics during the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. DSM Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Verisk Analytics during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Riverview Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Verisk Analytics in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Finally, Webster Bank N. A. lifted its position in Verisk Analytics by 28.4% in the first quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 208 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.00% of the company’s stock.

Verisk Analytics Stock Performance

NASDAQ:VRSK traded up $0.90 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $266.54. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 68,388 shares, compared to its average volume of 838,204. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.86, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.95. Verisk Analytics, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $215.32 and a fifty-two week high of $287.13. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $270.52 and its 200-day moving average is $250.04. The firm has a market cap of $37.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.56, a P/E/G ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 0.84.

Verisk Analytics (NASDAQ:VRSK) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The business services provider reported $1.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.64 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $716.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $722.45 million. Verisk Analytics had a net margin of 32.03% and a return on equity of 252.11%. The firm’s revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.51 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Verisk Analytics, Inc. will post 6.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verisk Analytics Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Sunday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. Verisk Analytics’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.10%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Elizabeth Mann sold 200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $262.31, for a total value of $52,462.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 16,608 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,356,444.48. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other news, CFO Elizabeth Mann sold 200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $262.31, for a total value of $52,462.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 16,608 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,356,444.48. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Kathy Card Beckles sold 326 shares of the firm’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 transaction of $88,743.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 7,470 shares in the company, valued at $2,033,483.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 726 shares of company stock worth $196,682 over the last 90 days. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on VRSK shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of Verisk Analytics from $280.00 to $282.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on Verisk Analytics from $278.00 to $263.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Verisk Analytics to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Robert W. Baird raised their price target 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. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $268.00 price objective on shares of Verisk Analytics in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $273.54.

Verisk Analytics Company 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.