Guardian Partners Inc. Invests $1.68 Million in Verisk Analytics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSK)

During the fourth quarter, Guardian Partners Inc. took a significant step by acquiring a new stake in Verisk Analytics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSK - Free Report). According to their latest filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the institutional investor purchased 5,977 shares of Verisk's stock, valued at approximately $1.68 million.

Other Institutional Investments

In addition to Guardian Partners Inc., several other institutional investors have also adjusted their holdings in Verisk Analytics recently. For instance, Sanctuary Advisors LLC raised its position in Verisk Analytics by an impressive 188.2% during the third quarter, bringing its total shares owned to 25,637, worth about $7.45 million after adding 16,742 shares.

Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC also invested in Verisk Analytics, acquiring new shares during the fourth quarter, valued at $212,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd dramatically increased its stake by 479.1% in the same quarter, now owning 16,853 shares worth $4.52 million after purchasing an additional 13,943 shares.

Moreover, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its holdings in Verisk by 14.4% during the third quarter, thus owning 70,667 shares, valued at $18.94 million after acquiring 8,884 more shares. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. also grew its position by 16.9%, now holding 63,217 shares worth $16.94 million after purchasing an additional 9,145 shares. In total, institutional and hedge fund investors currently own about 90% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions

In recent news regarding insider transactions, Verisk Analytics' Director Bruce Edward Hansen sold 1,179 shares on March 7. The shares were transacted at an average price of $295.36, totaling approximately $348,229. Following this sale, he retains 13,786 shares valued at about $4.07 million, indicating a 7.88% decrease in his ownership.

Additionally, Kathy Card Beckles, another insider, sold 2,111 shares on January 17 for about $595,428.66 at an average price of $282.06. Post-transaction, she now owns 9,066 shares valued at about $2.56 million, reflecting a decrease of 18.89% in her ownership. Over the past three months, insiders have sold a total of 5,648 shares valued at approximately $1.61 million, with corporate insiders owning around 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings

Several Wall Street research firms recently provided varying insights on Verisk Analytics. Barclays reduced its rating on the stock from "overweight" to "equal weight," establishing a new price target of $310.00. Conversely, Robert W. Baird raised its price target from $298.00 to $320.00 and assigned an "outperform" rating.

Morgan Stanley also increased its price target from $283.00 to $300.00, maintaining an "equal weight" rating. Wells Fargo & Company lowered its target from $325.00 to $321.00 but continued to rate the stock as "overweight." Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating with a target price of $300.00. Current data shows that six analysts recommend holding the stock, while three suggest buying it, yielding a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $299.33.

Company Performance

As of recently, Verisk Analytics (NASDAQ:VRSK) opened at $285.16. The company has a 50-day moving average of $289.28 and a 200-day moving average of $280.76, indicating steady market performance. Verisk has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.82, and a notably high debt-to-equity ratio of 8.36, with a market cap of approximately $40 billion.

The company's earnings per share (EPS) were reported at $1.61, slightly beating analyst expectations of $1.60, while revenues reached $735.60 million, surpassing consensus estimates of $733.55 million. The firm has a net margin of 32.65% and a return on equity of an astonishing 274.13%. Forecasts indicate that Verisk Analytics is expected to achieve an EPS of 6.63 in the upcoming fiscal year.

Recently, Verisk Analytics' Board of Directors also approved a share repurchase program allowing the company to repurchase up to $1 billion in outstanding shares, representing about 2.5% of the total shares, as a measure believing that their shares were undervalued.

Dividend Increase Announcement

The company has declared a new quarterly dividend of $0.45, to be paid on March 31, which is an increase from the previous amount of $0.39. This indicates an annualized dividend of $1.80, reflecting a yield of 0.63%. The ex-dividend date is set for March 14, and the current dividend payout ratio stands at 26.87%.

Company Overview

Verisk Analytics, Inc. specializes in providing data analytics and technology solutions primarily for insurance sectors both in the United States and globally. This includes various services such as policy language solutions, underwriting solutions, and catastrophe modeling, aimed at helping clients understand and mitigate financial risks.

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