If you’ve ever paid for car insurance or filed a claim after a hail storm, there is a massive chance a company called Verisk was working behind the curtain. Honestly, most people have never heard of them. Yet, for investors watching verisk analytics inc stock, the company is basically the central nervous system of the global insurance world.
Right now, the stock (VRSK) is sitting around $220. That is a pretty big drop from its 52-week high of $322.92. You’ve got a company that basically owns the data for the entire U.S. property and casualty market, but the market is acting a bit skittish. Why? It’s not just one thing. It's a mix of a failed $2.35 billion acquisition, a pivot toward being a "pure-play" insurance company, and the general weirdness of the 2026 interest rate environment.
The AccuLynx Drama and the Pivot to Focus
In late 2025, Verisk tried to make a massive move by acquiring AccuLynx for $2.35 billion. It made sense on paper. AccuLynx is a software giant for roofing contractors. Since roofing claims make up about a third of all property insurance payouts, Verisk wanted to own that entire workflow.
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But then, the regulators stepped in. The FTC dragged its feet so long that Verisk eventually pulled the plug in December 2025.
- The result? A lot of cash sitting on the sidelines.
- The strategy? Verisk is now selling off anything that isn't core insurance.
- The latest move: Just this month, in January 2026, they sold their Marketing Solutions business to ActiveProspect.
This "pure-play" strategy is what’s keeping the bulls interested. By getting rid of energy and financial services data arms, they are betting everything on the fact that insurance companies literally cannot function without them. They provide the "loss costs" that insurers use to set their prices. If you want to start an insurance company in the U.S., you almost have to subscribe to Verisk.
Verisk Analytics Inc Stock by the Numbers
Let's talk about the actual performance. The trailing P/E ratio is hovering around 33.6. That’s not cheap, but it’s actually lower than it has been in some previous growth spurts.
What’s interesting is the return on equity. It's astronomical—over 400% in recent reports. That’s because the company doesn't need to build factories or buy fleets of trucks. They sell data. Once the data is collected, the cost to sell it to the 1,000th customer is almost zero.
Recent Earnings and Dividends
Verisk reported $1.72 earnings per share for the quarter ending September 2025. They beat expectations, which they tend to do. They are expected to report again on February 25, 2026. Analysts are looking for about $1.58 per share this time around.
- Dividends: They pay about 45 cents a quarter. It’s a 0.82% yield.
- Buybacks: This is the big one. In the second quarter of 2025 alone, they bought back $100 million of their own shares.
- Revenue Growth: It’s steady. Usually around 7-8% organically.
What Most Investors Get Wrong About the Moat
People think Verisk is just a "data company." It's more of a "workflow company."
When an insurance adjuster goes to a house to look at a damaged roof, they use Xactimate. That’s Verisk’s software. When an underwriter decides how much to charge for a fire policy, they use ISO data. That’s also Verisk. You don't just "switch" away from Verisk. It would be like a law firm trying to stop using computers. It just isn't happening.
However, the stock has been under pressure lately. The 200-day moving average is sitting at $247.86, and since the price is currently $220, technical traders are a bit nervous. There’s a "Sell" rating that recently came out from Wall Street Zen, but then you have Barclays and RBC Capital sticking to "Buy" ratings with price targets as high as $335.
It’s a classic tug-of-war between people who hate the high debt-to-equity ratio (which is over 8.0) and people who love the 30% net margins.
The AI Wildcard
In 2026, everyone is talking about AI, but Verisk is actually using it. They launched XactAI to automate property claims. This isn't just a chatbot; it’s a system that can look at a photo of a smashed car or a burnt kitchen and estimate the repair cost instantly.
If this works, it lowers the cost for insurance companies. When insurance companies save money, they stay subscribed to Verisk. It's a virtuous cycle that protects the verisk analytics inc stock from newer "insurtech" startups that don't have the 50 years of historical data that Verisk has in its vault.
Actionable Insights for Your Watchlist
If you are looking at this stock, don't just watch the price. Watch the margins.
Keep an eye on the February 2026 earnings call. Specifically, listen for what they plan to do with the cash they didn't spend on AccuLynx. If they announce a massive new share buyback program, it could provide a floor for the stock price.
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Also, watch the regulatory environment. The failed AccuLynx deal shows that the government is watching Verisk's dominance closely. If they are blocked from making more acquisitions, they have to grow purely through their existing products. That’s harder to do when you already own the majority of the market.
Check the debt levels too. With a high debt-to-equity ratio, Verisk is sensitive to how the Fed handles rates this year. If rates stay "higher for longer," that debt becomes more expensive to service, which eats into those beautiful net profits.
The bottom line is that Verisk is a boring company that does essential things. In a volatile market, boring is often where the real money is made. You've got to decide if you're okay with the premium price tag for a company that basically functions as a utility for the insurance industry.