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Why Is Verisk (VRSK) Up 8.5% Since Its Last Earnings Report?
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A month has gone by since the last earnings report for Verisk Analytics, Inc. (VRSK - Free Report) . Shares have added about 8.5% in that time frame.
Will the recent positive trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is VRSK due for a pullback? Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late, let's take a quick look at the most recent earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important drivers.
Verisk Surpasses Q4 Earnings & Revenue Estimates
Verisk reported strong fourth-quarter 2017 results with healthy year-over-year increase in revenues and earnings. Net income from continuing operations improved to $204.6 million from $107.5 million in the year-earlier quarter on top-line growth. On a per share basis, net income from continuing operations increased to $1.22 from 63 cents in the year-ago quarter. For full-year 2017, GAAP earnings from continuing operations were $555.1 million or $3.29 per share compared with $451.5 million or $2.64 per share in 2016.
Adjusted earnings from continuing operations were $225.4 million or $1.34 per share compared with $135.4 million or 80 cents per share in the prior-year quarter. Excluding the benefit from the tax reform, adjusted earnings for the quarter were 81 cents per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 3 cents.
Total revenues for the reported quarter improved 12.7% to $570.3 million due to modest organic growth across all businesses. Revenues exceeded the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $557 million. For 2017, revenues were $2,145.2 million compared with $1,995.2 million in 2016. Adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization) from continuing operations for the quarter improved 6.9% year over year to $275.7 million.
Segmental Performance
Decision Analytics segment’s revenues increased 16% year over year to $375.1 million and accounted for 65.8% of total revenues. Revenues from Energy and Specialized Markets category increased 6.3% to $116.6 million as end markets of energy business improved and accretive acquisitions contributed positively. Insurance category’s revenues increased 18.5% to $211.2 million driven by accretive acquisitions and solid performance by underwriting solutions, catastrophe modeling solutions and claims analytics. Financial Services category’s revenues were up to $47.3 million from $35.5 million in the prior-year period due to strong growth in analytical products and media effectiveness solutions and favorable acquisitions.
Risk Assessment segment’s revenues grew 6.9% to $195.2 million, accounting for 34.2% of total revenues while that from property-specific rating and underwriting information improved 3.5% to $44.2 million, driven by higher subscription revenues. Industry-standard insurance programs revenues were up 7.9% to $151 million, primarily attributable to growth in new solutions and accretive acquisitions.
Acquisition
During the quarter, Verisk acquired PowerAdvocate for $200 million in order to augment its presence in the energy sector. PowerAdvocate offers key insights into customer’s cost-saving opportunities by analyzing spend and cost data obtained from millions of transactions across thousands of services, materials and equipment categories in the energy industry. With its wide range of proprietary data, this enables companies to bring transparency in the market and ensure that capital is utilized efficiently.
The deal will add to Verisk’s existing pool of customers, giving it greater access to the global markets. Verisk with PowerAdvocate’s proprietary data set, encompassing $2.7 trillion of spending data and machine-learned methods, will provide customers with unique insight to increase profitability. The company’s revenues are likely to increase significantly as a result of this acquisition, providing greater market strength.
Balance Sheet and Cash Flow
At year-end 2017, Verisk had about $142.3 million in cash and cash equivalents with long-term debt of $2,284.4 million compared with respective tallies of $135.1 million and $2,280.2 million in the prior-year period. Net cash flow from operating activities in 2017 was $743.5 million compared with $577.5 million in 2016. Free cash flow from continuing operations for 2017 increased 36.5% year over year to $560 million.
Verisk repurchased 3.4 million shares in 2017 for $270 million. At year-end 2017, the company had $366 million worth of shares remaining under its share repurchase authorization.
How Have Estimates Been Moving Since Then?
In the past month, investors have witnessed an upward trend in fresh estimates. There have been four revisions higher for the current quarter.
Currently, VRSK has a subpar Growth Score of D. Its Momentum is doing a bit better with a C. The stock was allocated a grade of F on the value side, putting it in the lowest quintile for this investment strategy.
Overall, the stock has an aggregate VGM Score of F. If you aren't focused on one strategy, this score is the one you should be interested in.
The company's stock is suitable solely for momentum based on our styles scores.
Outlook
Estimates have been trending upward for the stock and the magnitude of these revisions looks promising. It comes with little surprise VRSK has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). We expect an above average return from the stock in the next few months.
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Why Is Verisk (VRSK) Up 8.5% Since Its Last Earnings Report?
A month has gone by since the last earnings report for Verisk Analytics, Inc. (VRSK - Free Report) . Shares have added about 8.5% in that time frame.
Will the recent positive trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is VRSK due for a pullback? Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late, let's take a quick look at the most recent earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important drivers.
Verisk Surpasses Q4 Earnings & Revenue Estimates
Verisk reported strong fourth-quarter 2017 results with healthy year-over-year increase in revenues and earnings. Net income from continuing operations improved to $204.6 million from $107.5 million in the year-earlier quarter on top-line growth. On a per share basis, net income from continuing operations increased to $1.22 from 63 cents in the year-ago quarter. For full-year 2017, GAAP earnings from continuing operations were $555.1 million or $3.29 per share compared with $451.5 million or $2.64 per share in 2016.
Adjusted earnings from continuing operations were $225.4 million or $1.34 per share compared with $135.4 million or 80 cents per share in the prior-year quarter. Excluding the benefit from the tax reform, adjusted earnings for the quarter were 81 cents per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 3 cents.
Total revenues for the reported quarter improved 12.7% to $570.3 million due to modest organic growth across all businesses. Revenues exceeded the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $557 million. For 2017, revenues were $2,145.2 million compared with $1,995.2 million in 2016. Adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization) from continuing operations for the quarter improved 6.9% year over year to $275.7 million.
Segmental Performance
Decision Analytics segment’s revenues increased 16% year over year to $375.1 million and accounted for 65.8% of total revenues. Revenues from Energy and Specialized Markets category increased 6.3% to $116.6 million as end markets of energy business improved and accretive acquisitions contributed positively. Insurance category’s revenues increased 18.5% to $211.2 million driven by accretive acquisitions and solid performance by underwriting solutions, catastrophe modeling solutions and claims analytics. Financial Services category’s revenues were up to $47.3 million from $35.5 million in the prior-year period due to strong growth in analytical products and media effectiveness solutions and favorable acquisitions.
Risk Assessment segment’s revenues grew 6.9% to $195.2 million, accounting for 34.2% of total revenues while that from property-specific rating and underwriting information improved 3.5% to $44.2 million, driven by higher subscription revenues. Industry-standard insurance programs revenues were up 7.9% to $151 million, primarily attributable to growth in new solutions and accretive acquisitions.
Acquisition
During the quarter, Verisk acquired PowerAdvocate for $200 million in order to augment its presence in the energy sector. PowerAdvocate offers key insights into customer’s cost-saving opportunities by analyzing spend and cost data obtained from millions of transactions across thousands of services, materials and equipment categories in the energy industry. With its wide range of proprietary data, this enables companies to bring transparency in the market and ensure that capital is utilized efficiently.
The deal will add to Verisk’s existing pool of customers, giving it greater access to the global markets. Verisk with PowerAdvocate’s proprietary data set, encompassing $2.7 trillion of spending data and machine-learned methods, will provide customers with unique insight to increase profitability. The company’s revenues are likely to increase significantly as a result of this acquisition, providing greater market strength.
Balance Sheet and Cash Flow
At year-end 2017, Verisk had about $142.3 million in cash and cash equivalents with long-term debt of $2,284.4 million compared with respective tallies of $135.1 million and $2,280.2 million in the prior-year period. Net cash flow from operating activities in 2017 was $743.5 million compared with $577.5 million in 2016. Free cash flow from continuing operations for 2017 increased 36.5% year over year to $560 million.
Verisk repurchased 3.4 million shares in 2017 for $270 million. At year-end 2017, the company had $366 million worth of shares remaining under its share repurchase authorization.
How Have Estimates Been Moving Since Then?
In the past month, investors have witnessed an upward trend in fresh estimates. There have been four revisions higher for the current quarter.
Verisk Analytics, Inc. Price and Consensus
Verisk Analytics, Inc. Price and Consensus | Verisk Analytics, Inc. Quote
VGM Scores
Currently, VRSK has a subpar Growth Score of D. Its Momentum is doing a bit better with a C. The stock was allocated a grade of F on the value side, putting it in the lowest quintile for this investment strategy.
Overall, the stock has an aggregate VGM Score of F. If you aren't focused on one strategy, this score is the one you should be interested in.
The company's stock is suitable solely for momentum based on our styles scores.
Outlook
Estimates have been trending upward for the stock and the magnitude of these revisions looks promising. It comes with little surprise VRSK has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). We expect an above average return from the stock in the next few months.