Haverford Trust Co Lowers Stake in FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS)

Haverford Trust Co lessened its stake in FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) by 9.2% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 774 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 78 shares during the quarter. Haverford Trust Co’s holdings in FactSet Research Systems were worth $372,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of FactSet Research Systems during the third quarter worth approximately $35,000. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 19.1% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 137 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC increased its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 5,200.0% during the 3rd quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 159 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $79,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in FactSet Research Systems by 19.2% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 205 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $99,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems in the 4th quarter worth $102,000. Institutional investors own 91.24% of the company’s stock.

FactSet Research Systems Trading Up 1.8 %

Shares of FactSet Research Systems stock opened at $440.10 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.55, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $454.78 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $464.84. FactSet Research Systems Inc. has a 12-month low of $391.84 and a 12-month high of $499.87.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 20th. The business services provider reported $4.28 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.17 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $570.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $570.65 million. FactSet Research Systems had a return on equity of 33.92% and a net margin of 24.16%. FactSet Research Systems’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $4.22 earnings per share. Analysts predict that FactSet Research Systems Inc. will post 17.21 EPS for the current year.

FactSet Research Systems Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. FactSet Research Systems’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling at FactSet Research Systems

In related news, CAO Gregory T. Moskoff sold 363 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $433.73, for a total transaction of $157,443.99. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 44 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,084.12. This trade represents a 89.19 % 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. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

FDS has been the subject of several recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on FactSet Research Systems from $498.00 to $466.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $469.00 to $493.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 20th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $503.00 price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a report on Monday, March 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered FactSet Research Systems from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $450.00 to $402.00 in a report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on FactSet Research Systems from $525.00 to $480.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 21st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and five have given a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $436.27.

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.