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

Shares of FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” by the thirteen research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and eight have given a hold recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $453.46.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on FDS shares. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on FactSet Research Systems from $469.00 to $493.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $503.00 target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a report on Friday, December 20th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $485.00 to $525.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $373.00 to $409.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on FactSet Research Systems from $521.00 to $518.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 23rd.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider John Costigan sold 1,622 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $481.00, for a total transaction of $780,182.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 299 shares in the company, valued at $143,819. This trade represents a 84.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On FactSet Research Systems

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of FDS. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in FactSet Research Systems during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems during the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in FactSet Research Systems in the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in FactSet Research Systems in the second quarter worth approximately $62,000. Finally, Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 19.1% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 137 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $64,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.24% of the company’s stock.

FactSet Research Systems Price Performance

Shares of NYSE FDS opened at $467.15 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a current ratio of 1.39. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $475.69 and a 200 day moving average of $455.62. The firm has a market cap of $17.77 billion, a PE ratio of 33.49, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.77. FactSet Research Systems has a one year low of $391.84 and a one year high of $499.87.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, December 19th. The business services provider reported $4.37 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.25 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $568.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $565.14 million. FactSet Research Systems had a net margin of 24.16% and a return on equity of 33.92%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $4.12 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that FactSet Research Systems will post 17.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

FactSet Research Systems Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. FactSet Research Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.82%.

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.