FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) Stock Price Down 3.4% – Should You Sell?

FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS)’s share price fell 3.4% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $472.38 and last traded at $473.05. 105,457 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 60% from the average session volume of 263,208 shares. The stock had previously closed at $489.73.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

FDS has been the subject of several analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $469.00 to $493.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on FactSet Research Systems from $471.00 to $521.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on FactSet Research Systems in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They set an “inline” rating and a $470.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $503.00 target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research report on Friday. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $373.00 to $409.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, FactSet Research Systems has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $453.69.

FactSet Research Systems Trading Down 1.9 %

The business has a 50 day moving average of $476.92 and a 200-day moving average of $442.24. The stock has a market cap of $18.25 billion, a PE ratio of 34.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. FactSet Research Systems had a return on equity of 34.77% and a net margin of 24.38%. The firm had revenue of $568.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $565.14 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $4.12 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that FactSet Research Systems Inc. will post 17.2 EPS for the current year.

FactSet Research Systems Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 19th. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th were paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 29th. FactSet Research Systems’s payout ratio is 29.93%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider John Costigan sold 1,622 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $481.00, for a total value of $780,182.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 299 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $143,819. This trade represents a 84.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Frederick Philip Snow sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $455.09, for a total transaction of $1,365,270.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 12,987 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,910,253.83. This trade represents a 18.77 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 23,984 shares of company stock valued at $10,981,107. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On FactSet Research Systems

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 69.5% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 139 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 5.5% in the second quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,169 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $477,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Diversified LLC grew its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 20.2% during the 2nd quarter. Diversified LLC now owns 638 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $261,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. increased its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 23.5% during the 2nd quarter. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. now owns 12,104 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $4,942,000 after buying an additional 2,300 shares during the period. Finally, Institute for Wealth Management LLC. lifted its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 14.8% in the 2nd quarter. Institute for Wealth Management LLC. now owns 1,820 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $743,000 after buying an additional 234 shares in the last quarter. 91.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.