Forsta AP Fonden Acquires 3,900 Shares of Verisk Analytics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSK)

Forsta AP Fonden increased its stake in shares of Verisk Analytics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSK - Free Report) by 9.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 45,900 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 3,900 shares during the quarter. Forsta AP Fonden's holdings in Verisk Analytics were worth $12,299,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. raised its stake in shares of Verisk Analytics by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 362,915 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $85,550,000 after purchasing an additional 4,147 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co bought a new stake in Verisk Analytics in the second quarter worth approximately $1,325,000. OFI Invest Asset Management grew its position in Verisk Analytics by 2,181.7% in the second quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management now owns 2,875 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $723,000 after acquiring an additional 2,749 shares in the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new position in shares of Verisk Analytics during the 1st quarter worth $1,115,000. Finally, Twin Tree Management LP bought a new position in shares of Verisk Analytics during the 1st quarter valued at $2,340,000. 90.00% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Verisk Analytics Stock Down 0.7 %

VRSK traded down $1.79 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $262.86. 645,732 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 793,465. The stock's 50-day moving average is $268.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $261.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.86. Verisk Analytics, Inc. has a 1-year low of $215.32 and a 1-year high of $287.13. The stock has a market cap of $37.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.67, a PEG ratio of 3.36 and a beta of 0.86.

Verisk Analytics (NASDAQ:VRSK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The business services provider reported $1.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.64 by $0.10. Verisk Analytics had a return on equity of 252.11% and a net margin of 32.03%. The company had revenue of $716.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $722.45 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.51 EPS. Verisk Analytics's revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Verisk Analytics, Inc. will post 6.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on VRSK. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective 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. UBS Group lifted their price target on Verisk Analytics from $255.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Verisk Analytics to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Verisk Analytics from $275.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Verisk Analytics from $243.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $278.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Verisk Analytics news, CFO Elizabeth Mann sold 200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $271.33, for a total transaction of $54,266.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 15,808 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,289,184.64. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.40% of the company's stock.

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.