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

FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Reduce” from the eleven research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and eight have given a hold recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $442.70.

FDS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on FactSet Research Systems from $447.00 to $458.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, March 25th. Barclays reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $460.00 price objective (down from $480.00) on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Oppenheimer reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $469.00 price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a report on Thursday, April 11th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $430.00 price target for the company.

FactSet Research Systems Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of FDS opened at $428.24 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $447.66 and its 200 day moving average price is $454.14. The company has a current ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.73. FactSet Research Systems has a 1-year low of $380.96 and a 1-year high of $488.64.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, March 21st. The business services provider reported $4.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.83 by $0.39. FactSet Research Systems had a net margin of 22.72% and a return on equity of 34.36%. The business had revenue of $545.95 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $547.93 million. Analysts expect that FactSet Research Systems will post 15.82 earnings per share for the current year.

FactSet Research Systems Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 31st will be issued a $1.04 dividend. This is a boost from FactSet Research Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.98. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 31st. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.97%. FactSet Research Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.04%.

Insider Activity

In other FactSet Research Systems news, CAO Gregory T. Moskoff sold 330 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $419.50, for a total transaction of $138,435.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 72 shares in the company, valued at $30,204. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, CAO Gregory T. Moskoff sold 330 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $419.50, for a total transaction of $138,435.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 72 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $30,204. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Frederick Philip Snow sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $415.26, for a total transaction of $1,245,780.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 12,915 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,363,082.90. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 6,330 shares of company stock valued at $2,740,515 over the last ninety days. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On FactSet Research Systems

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of FDS. IFP Advisors Inc raised its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 71.4% in the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 84 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 133.2% in the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 659 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $288,000 after buying an additional 2,646 shares in the last quarter. Czech National Bank grew its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 47.0% during the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 6,667 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,915,000 after acquiring an additional 2,131 shares in the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 7,651 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,345,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Copeland Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 84,758 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $37,062,000 after acquiring an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. 91.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

FactSet Research Systems Company 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.