FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) Stock Price Up 5.1% – Here’s Why

Shares of FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) traded up 5.1% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $208.25 and last traded at $210.0620. 125,438 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 87% from the average session volume of 960,178 shares. The stock had previously closed at $199.86.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays cut their price target on FactSet Research Systems from $300.00 to $210.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 23rd. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $425.00 to $380.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $195.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $320.00 to $243.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $253.00 to $217.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and six have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $279.85.

FactSet Research Systems Trading Up 5.8%

The company’s 50 day moving average price is $218.29 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $247.65. The firm has a market cap of $7.70 billion, a PE ratio of 13.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The business services provider reported $4.46 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.37 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $611.02 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $604.78 million. FactSet Research Systems had a net margin of 24.48% and a return on equity of 30.25%. The firm’s revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $4.28 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that FactSet Research Systems Inc. will post 17.65 EPS for the current year.

FactSet Research Systems Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Investors of record on Friday, May 29th will be paid a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 29th. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. This is an increase from FactSet Research Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. FactSet Research Systems’s dividend payout ratio is 29.84%.

Institutional Trading of FactSet Research Systems

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Entropy Technologies LP boosted its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 116.3% during the first quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 15,432 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,349,000 after purchasing an additional 8,299 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund grew its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 57.4% in the first quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 2,329 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $505,000 after purchasing an additional 849 shares during the last quarter. Morningstar Investment Management LLC increased its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 138.1% in the 1st quarter. Morningstar Investment Management LLC now owns 7,299 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,584,000 after buying an additional 4,234 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 123.5% during the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 377,926 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $82,006,000 after buying an additional 208,824 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caxton Associates LLP lifted its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 2,252.0% during the 1st quarter. Caxton Associates LLP now owns 22,626 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $4,910,000 after buying an additional 21,664 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.24% of the company’s stock.

FactSet Research Systems Company Profile

FactSet Research Systems Inc operates as a global provider of integrated financial data and analytics to the investment community. Founded in 1978 and headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut, the company offers a unified platform that aggregates content from thousands of sources, delivering real-time and historical market data, company fundamentals, estimates, fixed-income information and proprietary analytics to portfolio managers, research analysts, investment bankers and risk officers.

The company’s core products include the FactSet Workstation, an application offering customizable screening, charting, portfolio analysis and news; APIs and data feeds for seamless integration into proprietary systems; and cloud-based solutions for thematic research and quantitative strategies.