FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) Given Average Recommendation of “Reduce” by Brokerages

FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the thirteen research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have given a hold rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $447.69.

Several research analysts have commented on FDS shares. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $451.00 to $469.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. UBS Group raised their price target on FactSet Research Systems from $485.00 to $525.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $503.00 price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Wells Fargo & Company increased 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. Finally, Redburn Atlantic cut shares of FactSet Research Systems from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $420.00 to $380.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th.

FactSet Research Systems Stock Down 0.4 %

NYSE FDS opened at $477.98 on Tuesday. FactSet Research Systems has a 12 month low of $391.84 and a 12 month high of $499.87. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The stock has a market cap of $18.16 billion, a PE ratio of 34.39, a P/E/G ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.76. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $471.99 and its 200 day moving average is $438.87.

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

FactSet Research Systems Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 of this dividend is Friday, November 29th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.87%. FactSet Research Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.93%.

Insider Transactions at FactSet Research Systems

In related news, insider John Costigan sold 1,622 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $481.00, for a total value of $780,182.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 299 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $143,819. This represents a 84.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Christopher R. Ellis sold 13,952 shares of FactSet Research Systems stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $456.15, for a total value of $6,364,204.80. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 23,515 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,726,367.25. This trade represents a 37.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 23,984 shares of company stock worth $10,981,107. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On FactSet Research Systems

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in FDS. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in FactSet Research Systems in the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 144.4% in the 2nd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 66 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 750.0% during the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC boosted its position in FactSet Research Systems by 6,700.0% during the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 68 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gladius Capital Management LP purchased a new position in FactSet Research Systems in the second quarter valued at about $33,000. Institutional investors own 91.24% of the company’s stock.

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.