Advisors Preferred LLC Buys New Holdings in FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS)

Advisors Preferred LLC purchased a new stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 1,553 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $710,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FDS. Mizuho Securities USA LLC boosted its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 45.9% during the fourth quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 3,600 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,729,000 after purchasing an additional 1,133 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 44.4% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 15,493 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $7,441,000 after purchasing an additional 4,763 shares in the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new stake in FactSet Research Systems during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $6,052,000. LPL Financial LLC boosted its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 75,986 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $36,494,000 after purchasing an additional 4,283 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TIAA Trust National Association boosted its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 15.5% during the fourth quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 528 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $254,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. 91.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other FactSet Research Systems news, CAO Gregory T. Moskoff sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $442.60, for a total transaction of $1,106,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 44 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,474.40. This represents a 98.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director James J. Mcgonigle sold 2,925 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $451.39, for a total transaction of $1,320,315.75. Following the transaction, the director owned 4,461 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,013,650.79. This represents a 39.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 13,031 shares of company stock worth $5,825,481. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

FactSet Research Systems Trading Down 0.5%

NYSE:FDS traded down $2.10 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $419.36. 348,127 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 285,974. The company's 50 day moving average is $440.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $444.24. FactSet Research Systems Inc. has a twelve month low of $391.69 and a twelve month high of $499.87. The company has a quick ratio of 1.47, a current ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The company has a market capitalization of $15.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.84.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, June 23rd. The business services provider reported $4.27 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.30 by ($0.03). FactSet Research Systems had a net margin of 23.30% and a return on equity of 31.59%. The firm had revenue of $585.52 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $580.70 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.37 EPS. FactSet Research Systems's quarterly revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that FactSet Research Systems Inc. will post 17.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

FactSet Research Systems Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 30th were issued a dividend of $1.10 per share. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 30th. This is a boost from FactSet Research Systems's previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. FactSet Research Systems's dividend payout ratio is 31.79%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on FDS shares. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $503.00 target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a report on Friday, June 20th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on FactSet Research Systems from $448.00 to $452.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, June 20th. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on FactSet Research Systems from $470.00 to $448.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, June 16th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on FactSet Research Systems from $390.00 to $393.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, June 20th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a report on Friday, June 20th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and six have assigned a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, FactSet Research Systems has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $444.25.

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.