FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) Receives Average Rating of “Reduce” from Brokerages

Shares of FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) have earned an average rating of “Reduce” from the fourteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and nine have given a hold recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $443.57.

FDS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on FactSet Research Systems from $451.00 to $469.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Redburn Atlantic cut FactSet Research Systems from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $420.00 to $380.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on FactSet Research Systems from $435.00 to $503.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on FactSet Research Systems from $440.00 to $471.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Finally, Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued an “inline” rating and a $470.00 target price for the company.

Insider Transactions at FactSet Research Systems

In related news, EVP Christopher R. Ellis sold 13,952 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $456.15, for a total transaction of $6,364,204.80. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 23,515 shares in the company, valued at $10,726,367.25. This represents a 37.24 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider John Costigan sold 1,622 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $481.00, for a total transaction of $780,182.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 299 shares in the company, valued at approximately $143,819. The trade was a 84.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 26,984 shares of company stock worth $12,230,877. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Millennium Management LLC grew its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 2,873.9% in the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 119,582 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $48,822,000 after buying an additional 115,561 shares during the period. PineStone Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 53.3% in the 2nd quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 272,973 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $111,447,000 after buying an additional 94,952 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems in the 3rd quarter worth about $38,909,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in FactSet Research Systems by 21.5% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 235,387 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $96,113,000 after purchasing an additional 41,717 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Boston Trust Walden Corp grew its position in FactSet Research Systems by 9.3% during the 3rd quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 296,329 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $136,267,000 after purchasing an additional 25,294 shares during the last quarter. 91.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

FactSet Research Systems Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:FDS opened at $495.51 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $460.40 and a 200 day moving average price of $433.15. FactSet Research Systems has a twelve month low of $391.84 and a twelve month high of $499.87. The company has a market cap of $18.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.65, a PEG ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 19th. The business services provider reported $3.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.62 by $0.12. FactSet Research Systems had a return on equity of 34.77% and a net margin of 24.38%. The firm had revenue of $562.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $547.06 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.93 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that FactSet Research Systems will post 17.2 earnings per share for the current year.

FactSet Research Systems Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 29th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 29th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.84%. FactSet Research Systems’s payout ratio is presently 29.93%.

About FactSet Research Systems

FactSet Research Systems Inc, a financial data company, provides integrated financial information and analytical applications to the investment community in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. The company delivers insight and information through the workflow solutions of research, analytics and trading, content and technology solutions, and wealth.