The Goldman Sachs Group Has Lowered Expectations for FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) Stock Price

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) had its price target decreased by The Goldman Sachs Group from $253.00 to $217.00 in a research note issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “sell” rating on the business services provider’s stock. The Goldman Sachs Group’s target price indicates a potential downside of 3.40% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research firms have also recently issued reports on FDS. Evercore lifted their target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $320.00 to $321.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Huber Research upgraded shares of FactSet Research Systems from a “strong sell” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $311.00 to $305.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $372.00 to $295.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and six have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $279.85.

FactSet Research Systems Stock Up 3.5%

FDS stock traded up $7.64 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $224.63. The stock had a trading volume of 840,428 shares, compared to its average volume of 983,337. FactSet Research Systems has a 1-year low of $185.00 and a 1-year high of $474.79. The company has a fifty day moving average of $219.11 and a 200 day moving average of $261.90. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.30, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.75.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The business services provider reported $4.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.37 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $611.02 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $604.78 million. FactSet Research Systems had a return on equity of 30.49% and a net margin of 25.40%.The firm’s revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $4.28 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that FactSet Research Systems will post 17.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

FactSet Research Systems announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Thursday, December 18th that permits the company to repurchase $600.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the business services provider to repurchase up to 5.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at FactSet Research Systems

In related news, Director Laurie Siegel sold 2,572 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $296.25, for a total value of $761,955.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 1,037 shares in the company, valued at approximately $307,211.25. This trade represents a 71.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Malcolm Frank sold 2,572 shares of FactSet Research Systems stock in a transaction on Monday, January 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $295.70, for a total transaction of $760,540.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 879 shares in the company, valued at $259,920.30. This trade represents a 74.53% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On FactSet Research Systems

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in FDS. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 444,058.1% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 13,857,733 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $4,021,376,000 after purchasing an additional 13,854,613 shares during the period. Bamco Inc. NY increased its position in FactSet Research Systems by 58.8% in the 4th quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 2,888,845 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $838,314,000 after buying an additional 1,069,786 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 4,547.4% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 705,062 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $204,602,000 after buying an additional 689,891 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 1,843.9% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 597,723 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $173,453,000 after acquiring an additional 566,975 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $151,492,000. 91.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

FactSet Research Systems News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting FactSet Research Systems this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Non?GAAP earnings and revenue beat: FactSet reported non?GAAP EPS of $4.46 vs. consensus ~$4.37 and revenue of $611M (y/y +7.1%), with organic ASV up ~6.7% — metrics investors view as evidence of steady subscription momentum. MarketBeat Earnings Report
• Positive Sentiment: Shares reacted positively in aftermarket/premarket coverage after the quarter — headlines noted a roughly mid?single digit jump following the results, supporting today’s upward move. MSN: Shares Jump After Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Product/innovation catalyst: FactSet launched “FactSet AI for Banking” (alpha) in partnership with Finster AI — a new AI?native workflow product that could support future revenue expansion and client retention. GlobeNewswire: AI for Banking Launch
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst views vary: UBS cut its price target from $425 to $380 but stayed at “buy” (signal: conviction remains despite lower PT); this provides offsetting bullish support even as a lower target tempers upside. Benzinga
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation and analyst/opinion pieces argue the multiple is attractive and that fundamentals could set a rebound — helpful context but not an immediate catalyst. Seeking Alpha: Fundamental & Valuation
• Negative Sentiment: GAAP metric weakness reported in some call transcripts: an earnings?call transcript excerpt referenced a GOP/GAAP EPS figure (reported ~ $3.60) that missed expectations, which can create short?term uncertainty for fundamental skeptics. InsiderMonkey: Q2 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo raises its PT only slightly to $200 but keeps an “underweight” stance — a material negative signal from a large sell?side shop and a reminder of downside risk vs. the market. Benzinga

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.