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

Shares of FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) have earned an average recommendation of “Reduce” from the thirteen analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and eight have given a hold recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $453.46.

A number of analysts have recently commented on FDS shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on FactSet Research Systems from $435.00 to $503.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on FactSet Research Systems in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued an “inline” rating and a $470.00 price objective on the stock. Redburn Atlantic lowered shares of FactSet Research Systems from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and cut their target price for the company from $420.00 to $380.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $521.00 to $518.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 23rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $469.00 to $493.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 20th.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider John Costigan sold 1,622 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at approximately $143,819. The trade was a 84.44 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 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 added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Birch Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 9.9% during the fourth quarter. Birch Capital Management LLC now owns 8,586 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $4,124,000 after acquiring an additional 774 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 21.0% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 340,494 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $164,653,000 after buying an additional 59,173 shares during the period. Everence Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in FactSet Research Systems in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $413,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 38.2% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,061 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $510,000 after acquiring an additional 293 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 12.0% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 493,350 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $226,867,000 after acquiring an additional 52,741 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.24% of the company’s stock.

FactSet Research Systems Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:FDS opened at $459.14 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $481.54 and a 200-day moving average price of $449.70. The stock has a market cap of $17.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.03, a PEG ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 0.76. FactSet Research Systems has a 52-week low of $391.84 and a 52-week high of $499.87. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, December 19th. The business services provider reported $4.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.25 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $568.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $565.14 million. FactSet Research Systems had a net margin of 24.38% and a return on equity of 34.77%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.12 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that FactSet Research Systems will post 17.2 EPS for the current year.

FactSet Research Systems Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 29th were issued a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 29th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.91%. FactSet Research Systems’s payout ratio is 29.93%.

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.