FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) Receives $436.90 Average Price Target from Analysts

FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS - Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of "Reduce" from the nine ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and five have given a hold recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $436.90.

FDS has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on FactSet Research Systems from $469.00 to $493.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, December 20th. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $525.00 to $480.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 21st. 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 stock from $450.00 to $402.00 in a report on Friday, March 21st. BMO Capital Markets decreased 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 report on Monday, March 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on 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.

FactSet Research Systems Stock Down 0.1 %

FDS traded down $0.37 during trading on Monday, reaching $426.86. 255,290 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 285,685. FactSet Research Systems has a fifty-two week low of $391.69 and a fifty-two week high of $499.87. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $440.70 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $461.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.39. The stock has a market cap of $16.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.82.

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

FactSet Research Systems Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.97%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. FactSet Research Systems's payout ratio is 29.59%.

Insider Activity at FactSet Research Systems

In other news, CAO Gregory T. Moskoff sold 363 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 44 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $19,084.12. This represents a 89.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC bought a new position in FactSet Research Systems during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. American National Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of FactSet Research Systems in the 1st quarter worth approximately $44,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its position in FactSet Research Systems by 31.1% during the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 118 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. CX Institutional acquired a new stake in FactSet Research Systems during the 1st quarter valued at $60,000. Finally, Allworth Financial LP raised its position in FactSet Research Systems by 19.1% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 137 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $64,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. 91.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.