Stifel Nicolaus Raises FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) Price Target to $493.00

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) had its target price lifted by Stifel Nicolaus from $469.00 to $493.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. Stifel Nicolaus currently has a hold rating on the business services provider’s stock.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Redburn Atlantic downgraded shares of FactSet Research Systems from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $420.00 to $380.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $503.00 target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a report on Friday. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $471.00 to $521.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. UBS Group raised their target price on FactSet Research Systems from $485.00 to $525.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on FactSet Research Systems from $435.00 to $503.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $453.69.

FactSet Research Systems Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of FactSet Research Systems stock opened at $483.52 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $477.45 and a 200 day moving average of $443.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.79, a PEG ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 0.76. FactSet Research Systems has a fifty-two week low of $391.84 and a fifty-two week high of $499.87.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 19th. The business services provider reported $4.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.25 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $568.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $565.14 million. FactSet Research Systems had a net margin of 24.38% and a return on equity of 34.77%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.12 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that FactSet Research Systems will post 17.2 earnings per share for the current year.

FactSet Research Systems Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 29th were given a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 29th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.86%. FactSet Research Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.82%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider John Costigan sold 1,622 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $481.00, for a total value of $780,182.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 299 shares in the company, valued at approximately $143,819. This represents a 84.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Frederick Philip Snow sold 3,000 shares of FactSet Research Systems stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $455.09, for a total transaction of $1,365,270.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 12,987 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,910,253.83. This represents a 18.77 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 23,984 shares of company stock worth $10,981,107 in the last three months. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of FactSet Research Systems

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 3.0% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 48,791 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $22,437,000 after acquiring an additional 1,443 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 12,314 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $5,687,000 after acquiring an additional 669 shares during the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp boosted its position in FactSet Research Systems by 92.8% in the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 1,336 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $614,000 after buying an additional 643 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 9.0% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 2,535 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,166,000 after purchasing an additional 209 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in FactSet Research Systems during the 3rd quarter worth $403,000. 91.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.