Northwest Investment Counselors LLC Trims Stock Position in FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS)

Northwest Investment Counselors LLC lessened its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) by 2.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 1,692 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 50 shares during the quarter. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC’s holdings in FactSet Research Systems were worth $769,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in FDS. Morgan Stanley grew its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 100.1% in the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 1,396,225 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $610,515,000 after purchasing an additional 698,611 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems in the fourth quarter worth approximately $47,977,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems during the fourth quarter worth approximately $45,288,000. PineStone Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 117.0% in the 4th quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 163,521 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $78,008,000 after purchasing an additional 88,173 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 15.3% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 503,467 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $220,146,000 after buying an additional 66,986 shares during the last quarter. 91.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $469.00 price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Wolfe Research began coverage on FactSet Research Systems in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $430.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $464.00 target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a report on Monday. Barclays reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $460.00 price target (down previously from $480.00) on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have given a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $432.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Frederick Philip Snow sold 3,000 shares of FactSet Research Systems stock in a transaction on Monday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $400.00, for a total transaction of $1,200,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 12,915 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,166,000. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Frederick Philip Snow sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $400.00, for a total transaction of $1,200,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 12,915 shares in the company, valued at $5,166,000. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Goran Skoko sold 6,215 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $436.40, for a total transaction of $2,712,226.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,262 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,296,336.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 23,987 shares of company stock worth $10,283,347. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

FactSet Research Systems Trading Up 2.6 %

Shares of FDS stock traded up $11.22 on Monday, hitting $434.95. The stock had a trading volume of 184,769 shares, compared to its average volume of 253,800. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.79 and a quick ratio of 1.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.74. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $423.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $448.28. FactSet Research Systems Inc. has a 1 year low of $385.27 and a 1 year high of $488.64.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, June 21st. The business services provider reported $4.37 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.91 by $0.46. The business had revenue of $552.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $552.71 million. FactSet Research Systems had a net margin of 22.72% and a return on equity of 34.36%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.79 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that FactSet Research Systems Inc. will post 15.95 earnings per share for the current year.

FactSet Research Systems Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 31st were paid a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 31st. This is a boost from FactSet Research Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.98. FactSet Research Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.94%.

FactSet Research Systems Profile

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.