FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) Shares Sold by Baird Financial Group Inc.

Baird Financial Group Inc. lessened its stake in FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS - Free Report) by 6.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 27,865 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 1,765 shares during the period. Baird Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.07% of FactSet Research Systems worth $13,383,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Allworth Financial LP boosted its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 19.1% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 137 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $64,000 after buying an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 19.2% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 205 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $99,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems during the 4th quarter worth about $102,000. Private Trust Co. NA grew its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 8.2% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 291 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $140,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 61.8% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 369 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $170,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.24% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group reduced their target price on FactSet Research Systems from $525.00 to $480.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $409.00 to $390.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 21st. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $498.00 to $466.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $503.00 price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut FactSet Research Systems from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and reduced their target price for the company from $450.00 to $402.00 in a report on Friday, March 21st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and five have given a hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, FactSet Research Systems has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $436.90.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Gregory T. Moskoff sold 363 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 44 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $19,084.12. This represents a 89.19 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

FactSet Research Systems Trading Up 1.3 %

FactSet Research Systems stock traded up $5.72 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $454.21. 384,876 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 286,128. 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 stock's 50-day simple moving average is $432.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $458.33. FactSet Research Systems Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $391.69 and a fifty-two week high of $499.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.56, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.88.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 20th. The business services provider reported $4.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.17 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $570.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $570.65 million. FactSet Research Systems had a return on equity of 33.92% and a net margin of 24.16%. The company's revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $4.22 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that FactSet Research Systems Inc. will post 17.21 EPS for the current year.

FactSet Research Systems Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be paid a $1.10 dividend. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.97%. This is an increase from FactSet Research Systems's previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. FactSet Research Systems's payout ratio is 31.29%.

FactSet Research Systems Company Profile

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.