FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) Receives $440.22 Average PT from Brokerages

FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS - Get Free Report) has received an average rating of "Reduce" from the eight ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and five have issued a hold rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $440.22.

Several analysts have recently commented on FDS shares. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of FactSet Research Systems from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $450.00 to $402.00 in a research report on Friday, March 21st. 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 Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on 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. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $409.00 to $390.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $525.00 to $480.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 21st.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other FactSet Research Systems news, CAO Gregory T. Moskoff sold 363 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 44 shares in the company, valued at $19,084.12. This trade represents a 89.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On FactSet Research Systems

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 3.0% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,795,354 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $2,180,160,000 after purchasing an additional 137,874 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 9.4% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,096,592 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $527,411,000 after buying an additional 94,668 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 4.4% during the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 528,045 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $240,070,000 after buying an additional 22,458 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 0.9% during the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 505,761 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $229,940,000 after buying an additional 4,693 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 7.6% in the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 490,698 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $223,091,000 after acquiring an additional 34,549 shares in the last quarter. 91.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

FactSet Research Systems Stock Performance

FDS stock traded down $0.68 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $433.84. 568,317 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 312,008. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. FactSet Research Systems has a 52-week low of $391.69 and a 52-week high of $499.87. The stock has a market cap of $16.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.10, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.86. The stock's 50-day moving average is $440.70 and its 200 day moving average is $457.31.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 20th. The business services provider reported $4.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $570.65 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $4.22 EPS. FactSet Research Systems's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that FactSet Research Systems will post 17.21 EPS for the current year.

FactSet Research Systems Increases Dividend

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