Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Cuts Stock Position in FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. cut its position in FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS - Free Report) by 74.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,665 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 4,831 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.'s holdings in FactSet Research Systems were worth $757,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in FDS. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC purchased a new position in FactSet Research Systems in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. American National Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems during the first quarter worth $44,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 31.1% in the first quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 118 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 19.1% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 137 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $64,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clean Yield Group boosted its position in FactSet Research Systems by 18.0% during the first quarter. Clean Yield Group now owns 177 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $80,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. 91.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FDS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley cut 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 report on Friday, March 21st. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target 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. Wells Fargo & Company cut FactSet Research Systems from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and cut their price target for the company from $450.00 to $402.00 in a 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 research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their target price on FactSet Research Systems from $470.00 to $448.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a report on Monday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and five have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $445.25.

FactSet Research Systems Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE FDS traded up $1.04 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $424.74. 389,046 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 295,980. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.21, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.47 and a current ratio of 1.47. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $440.04 and a 200 day simple moving average of $452.93. FactSet Research Systems Inc. has a twelve month low of $391.69 and a twelve month high of $499.87.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $4.17 by $0.11. FactSet Research Systems had a return on equity of 32.91% and a net margin of 24.07%. The company had revenue of $570.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $570.65 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.22 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that FactSet Research Systems Inc. will post 17.21 earnings per share for the current year.

FactSet Research Systems Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th were issued a dividend of $1.10 per share. The ex-dividend date was 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 1.04%. FactSet Research Systems's dividend payout ratio is currently 31.29%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Gregory T. Moskoff sold 363 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 24th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $19,084.12. This represents a 89.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

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.