FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) Holdings Raised by BNP Paribas Financial Markets

BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS - Free Report) by 94.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 81,364 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 39,593 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned approximately 0.21% of FactSet Research Systems worth $39,078,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in FactSet Research Systems during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $234,000. Freestone Grove Partners LP purchased a new stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems during the fourth quarter worth approximately $386,000. AdvisorShares Investments LLC increased its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 16.3% in the 4th quarter. AdvisorShares Investments LLC now owns 14,643 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $7,033,000 after buying an additional 2,050 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 13.9% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 398,180 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $191,238,000 after acquiring an additional 48,444 shares during the period. Finally, Tudor Investment Corp ET AL raised its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL now owns 1,255 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $603,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. 91.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on FDS. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded 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. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $409.00 to $390.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 21st. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $498.00 to $466.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $503.00 price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective 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. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and five have given a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, FactSet Research Systems currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $436.90.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other FactSet Research Systems news, CAO Gregory T. Moskoff sold 363 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $433.73, for a total value of $157,443.99. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 44 shares of the company's stock, valued at $19,084.12. This represents a 89.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

FactSet Research Systems Price Performance

FactSet Research Systems stock traded down $1.12 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $455.28. 46,241 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 285,875. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $432.81 and its 200-day simple moving average is $458.36. FactSet Research Systems Inc. has a 1 year low of $391.69 and a 1 year high of $499.87. The company has a market capitalization of $17.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a current ratio of 1.39.

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

FactSet Research Systems Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th will be issued a dividend of $1.10 per share. This is a positive change from FactSet Research Systems's previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.97%. FactSet Research Systems's payout ratio is presently 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.