Wall Street analysts expect that Verisk Analytics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSK) will report earnings of $1.33 per share for the current fiscal quarter, Zacks reports. Six analysts have provided estimates for Verisk Analytics’ earnings, with the highest EPS estimate coming in at $1.37 and the lowest estimate coming in at $1.27. Verisk Analytics posted earnings of $1.29 per share in the same quarter last year, which would suggest a positive year-over-year growth rate of 3.1%. The firm is expected to announce its next earnings report on Tuesday, August 3rd.
On average, analysts expect that Verisk Analytics will report full-year earnings of $5.19 per share for the current year, with EPS estimates ranging from $5.04 to $5.45. For the next financial year, analysts forecast that the firm will post earnings of $5.90 per share, with EPS estimates ranging from $5.65 to $6.23. Zacks’ earnings per share averages are an average based on a survey of sell-side research firms that cover Verisk Analytics.
Verisk Analytics (NASDAQ:VRSK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 3rd. The business services provider reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.25 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $726.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $725.93 million. Verisk Analytics had a net margin of 19.12% and a return on equity of 36.42%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.17 EPS.
Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Verisk Analytics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $192.00 to $196.00 in a research note on Monday, March 15th. Raymond James upgraded Verisk Analytics from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $190.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 15th. UBS Group upgraded Verisk Analytics from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the company from $196.00 to $177.00 in a research note on Monday, March 1st. Zacks Investment Research upgraded Verisk Analytics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $198.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Verisk Analytics from $201.00 to $197.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. The stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $202.67.
VRSK traded up $0.16 on Friday, hitting $173.51. The company had a trading volume of 769,822 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,044,264. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $181.60 and a 200-day moving average price of $187.92. Verisk Analytics has a 12-month low of $155.74 and a 12-month high of $210.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 0.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.61, a P/E/G ratio of 3.69 and a beta of 0.67.
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.67%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 14th. Verisk Analytics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.48%.
In other Verisk Analytics news, Director Constantine Iordanou sold 3,412 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.99, for a total value of $610,713.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 269,349 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,210,777.51. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Nicholas Daffan sold 6,296 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.17, for a total value of $1,128,054.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 26,990 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,835,798.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 26,012 shares of company stock valued at $4,690,712 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 2.55% of the company’s stock.
Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Graves Light Private Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Verisk Analytics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Fieldpoint Private Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Verisk Analytics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Verisk Analytics by 56.0% in the fourth quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 156 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Verisk Analytics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Vantage Consulting Group Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Verisk Analytics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 88.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
About Verisk Analytics
Verisk Analytics, Inc provides data analytics solutions in the United States and internationally. It provides predictive analytics and decision support solutions to customers in rating, underwriting, claims, catastrophe and weather risk, global risk analytics, natural resources intelligence, economic forecasting, commercial banking and finance, and various other fields.
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