Verisk Analytics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSK) Short Interest Update

Verisk Analytics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSK) saw a large increase in short interest in the month of February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 4,816,674 shares, an increase of 32.9% from the January 29th total of 3,623,777 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 3,302,976 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.5 days. Currently, 3.5% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Currently, 3.5% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 3,302,976 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.5 days.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Verisk Analytics news, CFO Elizabeth Mann sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.54, for a total value of $65,862.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 14,265 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,131,738.10. This represents a 2.06% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Christopher John Perry acquired 1,000 shares of Verisk Analytics stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $180.00 per share, with a total value of $180,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 2,994 shares in the company, valued at approximately $538,920. This represents a 50.15% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new stake in Verisk Analytics during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. AlphaCore Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Verisk Analytics during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund acquired a new stake in shares of Verisk Analytics during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Verisk Analytics during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Osterweis Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Verisk Analytics in the second quarter valued at $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.00% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VRSK has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Argus cut Verisk Analytics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 14th. Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Verisk Analytics in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Verisk Analytics from $250.00 to $230.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Verisk Analytics from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, January 25th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on shares of Verisk Analytics from $239.00 to $206.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $238.14.

Verisk Analytics Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of VRSK traded down $0.04 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $214.75. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,171,218 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,008,334. The company has a 50 day moving average of $206.76 and a two-hundred day moving average of $226.92. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.42. The firm has a market cap of $29.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.81. Verisk Analytics has a 1-year low of $164.60 and a 1-year high of $322.92.

Verisk Analytics (NASDAQ:VRSK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The business services provider reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.60 by $0.22. The business had revenue of $778.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $773.74 million. Verisk Analytics had a net margin of 29.56% and a return on equity of 357.00%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.61 earnings per share. Verisk Analytics has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.450-7.75 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Verisk Analytics will post 6.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Verisk Analytics declared that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Wednesday, February 18th that authorizes the company to repurchase $2.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the business services provider to purchase up to 10.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Verisk Analytics Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. This is an increase from Verisk Analytics’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. Verisk Analytics’s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.73%.

About Verisk Analytics

Verisk Analytics, Inc (NASDAQ: VRSK) is a data analytics and decision‑support provider that helps organizations assess and manage risk. The company supplies data, predictive models and software to customers in insurance, reinsurance, financial services, government, energy and other commercial markets. Its offerings are designed to support underwriting, pricing, claims management, catastrophe modeling, fraud detection and regulatory compliance, enabling clients to make more informed operational and strategic decisions.

Verisk’s product portfolio combines large proprietary datasets with analytics platforms and industry‑specific applications.