FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) Sets New 12-Month Low – Here’s What Happened

FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS)’s share price hit a new 52-week low during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $250.35 and last traded at $250.6650, with a volume of 737458 shares. The stock had previously closed at $269.86.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on FDS. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $320.00 price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $305.00 price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research report on Friday, December 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on FactSet Research Systems from $282.00 to $253.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on FactSet Research Systems from $372.00 to $295.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, FactSet Research Systems presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $313.00.

FactSet Research Systems Trading Down 6.5%

The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $286.07 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $318.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a current ratio of 1.54. The firm has a market cap of $9.36 billion, a PE ratio of 16.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.75.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, December 18th. The business services provider reported $4.51 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.36 by $0.15. FactSet Research Systems had a return on equity of 30.49% and a net margin of 25.40%.The firm had revenue of $607.62 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $599.69 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $4.37 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. FactSet Research Systems has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.900-17.600 EPS. Analysts expect that FactSet Research Systems Inc. will post 17.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

FactSet Research Systems Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 18th. Investors of record on Friday, November 28th were given a dividend of $1.10 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 28th. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. FactSet Research Systems’s payout ratio is currently 27.99%.

FactSet Research Systems announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, December 18th that allows the company to repurchase $600.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the business services provider to repurchase up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at FactSet Research Systems

In related news, Director Malcolm Frank sold 2,572 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $295.70, for a total transaction of $760,540.40. Following the sale, the director directly owned 879 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $259,920.30. This trade represents a 74.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Goran Skoko purchased 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 6th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $252.93 per share, with a total value of $126,465.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the executive vice president directly owned 9,192 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,324,932.56. This trade represents a 5.75% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Company insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On FactSet Research Systems

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mattern Capital Management LLC grew its position in FactSet Research Systems by 48.8% during the fourth quarter. Mattern Capital Management LLC now owns 30,391 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $8,819,000 after buying an additional 9,971 shares during the period. Marathon Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems during the 4th quarter worth about $212,000. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,683 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,649,000 after acquiring an additional 348 shares during the period. Copeland Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 13.7% during the 4th quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 82,277 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $23,876,000 after acquiring an additional 9,908 shares during the period. Finally, Absher Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 54.5% in the 4th quarter. Absher Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,570 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $456,000 after purchasing an additional 554 shares in the last quarter. 91.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About FactSet Research Systems

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.