Nisa Investment Advisors LLC has recently lowered its stake in Verisk Analytics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSK) by 10.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company’s most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm reported that it now owns 17,718 shares of VRSK business services provider’s stocks after selling 2,037 shares during the period, with its holdings worth $3.1 billion.
The variation in Nisa Investment Advisors’ ownership of VRSK can be attributed to several factors, one of which includes the latest coverage on this stock by multiple analysts’ firms across the country. StockNews.com initiated coverage for Verisk Analytics rating it as “hold” while Morgan Stanley placed an “overweight” rating and increased its target price from $181 to $186 per share.
Further bolstering VRSK’s standing is Credit Suisse Group raising their target price on shares of Verisk Analytics from $165 to $187 and giving a neutral rating while Redburn Partners increased their recommendation from “sell” to “neutral”. Meanwhile, JPMorgan Chase & Co was impressed enough with VRSK to increase their target price from $195 to $200 and rates it as “overweight”, giving confidence that growth possibilities are high.
Looking into some brief metrics on VRSK which soared upward alongside Nasdaq opening at $195.80 on Tuesday; its current ratio stands at .40 alongside a quick ratio of .40 points respectively indicating potential for liquidity and profitability ratios eventually breaking even or surpassing previous records which sat at 12-month low of $156.05 and high of $214.71 over a course of one year; gauged against a market capitalization value estimated at around an estimate amount worth was roughly around USD28.29 billion backed by PE ratio clocking around33x while PEG ratio values sums up to 2.97 further supporting investor’s decision-making and as per data available on Bloomberg, Verisk Analytics has swirled rating around “Moderate Buy” with consensus price target of $199.70. With such astute growth potential following collaborations with business leaders across sectors, it is no surprise that the decreasing stake in VRSK adds to the expectation of a profitable future.
Verisk Analytics Q1 Results Exceed Expectations, But Analysts Remain Divided on Investment Opportunity
Verisk Analytics (NASDAQ:VRSK) recently announced its first quarter results, exceeding expected earnings with its $1.43 EPS. This has led to an increased consensus price target of $199.70 for the company’s shares, according to data from Bloomberg. The rating is considered moderate buy, and the company experienced an average analyst rating of this level. It is uncertain whether this investment opportunity is a wise choice as institutional investors have modified their holdings of late, but the company remains strong with several major funds increasing their positions in the company.
Brown Advisory Inc., Wellington Management Group LLP, and CCLA Investment Management are among several hedge funds that have recently grew their position in Verisk Analytics stock value by purchasing more shares during Q3 of 2016 and Q1 of 2017. In contrast, insiders at Verisk Analytics have sold over $2.9m worth of the company’s stock within ninety days, leaving only around 1.78% remaining under corporate ownership.
Despite disagreements amongst analysts about whether Verisk Analytics’ stocks represent a solid investment opportunity or not, Morgan Stanley rated VRSK overweight on March 2nd after boosting its projected target price from $181.00 to $186.00. Both Credit Suisse Group and JPMorgan Chase & Co also released research notes updating their outlooks for Verisk Analytics; Credit Suisse moving from sell status to neutral while also raising its price target from $165.00 to $187.00 on March 6th and JPMorgan Chase & Co upgrading VRSK from Overweight to Buy along with increasing the price target set previously ($195) to $200 on March 2nd.
The CEO stated that “Verisk” exceeded expectations for quarterly earnings thanks in part to strong demand for existing products including analytics-based services that help insurers automate process claims”. Following this performance report, it was announced that Verisk Analytics would increase its dividend rate from $0.31 to $0.34 a share, leading some investors to view Verisk Analytics as a conservative investment opportunity in a strong position, and an increase in payout ratio. However, other analysts remain skeptical of the company’s future, due to independent sales of stocks by Verisk Analytics insiders and a recent adjustment in institutional investment figures.
