FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) Stake Reduced by Earnest Partners LLC

Earnest Partners LLC trimmed its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS - Free Report) by 10.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 65,565 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 7,776 shares during the quarter. Earnest Partners LLC owned approximately 0.17% of FactSet Research Systems worth $31,490,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in FDS. Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings 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 during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 worth $99,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in FactSet Research Systems in the 4th quarter worth approximately $102,000. Private Trust Co. NA grew its holdings in 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 buying an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 61.8% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 369 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $170,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 91.24% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at FactSet Research Systems

In other news, CAO Gregory T. Moskoff sold 363 shares of the business'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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 44 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,084.12. The trade was a 89.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on FDS shares. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on 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. UBS Group lowered 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. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on FactSet Research Systems from $409.00 to $390.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 21st. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and issued a $503.00 price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of FactSet Research Systems from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and decreased their price target for the company from $450.00 to $402.00 in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and five have issued a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, FactSet Research Systems has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $436.90.

FactSet Research Systems Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE FDS traded up $4.81 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $434.70. The company had a trading volume of 234,573 shares, compared to its average volume of 284,328. FactSet Research Systems Inc. has a 52-week low of $391.69 and a 52-week high of $499.87. 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 has a market cap of $16.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.16, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.82. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $433.89 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $459.35.

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

FactSet Research Systems Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be issued a dividend of $1.10 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.01%. This is a boost from FactSet Research Systems's previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. FactSet Research Systems's payout ratio is presently 29.59%.

FactSet Research Systems 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.