FactSet Research Systems Inc. $FDS Shares Sold by HighTower Advisors LLC

Key Points

• HighTower Advisors LLC cut its FactSet Research Systems stake by 70.7% in the fourth quarter, selling 53,075 shares and ending with 21,950 shares worth about $6.37 million.
• FactSet reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $4.46 versus $4.37 expected and revenue of $611.02 million, up 7.1% year over year.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $1.16 per share from $1.10, implying an annualized payout of $4.64 and a 2.0% yield.

HighTower Advisors LLC reduced its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS - Free Report) by 70.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,950 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 53,075 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.06% of FactSet Research Systems worth $6,370,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Cromwell Holdings LLC acquired a new stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. WPG Advisers LLC lifted its position in FactSet Research Systems by 76.9% during the fourth quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 92 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Winnow Wealth LLC acquired a new position in FactSet Research Systems during the third quarter valued at $28,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in FactSet Research Systems by 188.2% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 98 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. Finally, Field & Main Bank acquired a new position in FactSet Research Systems during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. 91.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. They set an "underperform" rating and a $195.00 target price for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $253.00 to $217.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $425.00 to $380.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and six have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, FactSet Research Systems has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $279.62.

FactSet Research Systems Trading Up 2.1%

Shares of FactSet Research Systems stock opened at $235.71 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $220.42 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $244.94. The company has a market cap of $8.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.69. FactSet Research Systems Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $185.00 and a fifty-two week high of $468.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.43.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 31st. The business services provider reported $4.46 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.37 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $611.02 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $604.78 million. FactSet Research Systems had a net margin of 24.48% and a return on equity of 30.25%. The company's revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $4.28 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that FactSet Research Systems Inc. will post 17.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

FactSet Research Systems Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 29th will be given a $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. This is an increase from FactSet Research Systems's previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 29th. FactSet Research Systems's payout ratio is currently 28.30%.

About FactSet Research Systems

FactSet Research Systems Inc operates as a global provider of integrated financial data and analytics to the investment community. Founded in 1978 and headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut, the company offers a unified platform that aggregates content from thousands of sources, delivering real-time and historical market data, company fundamentals, estimates, fixed-income information and proprietary analytics to portfolio managers, research analysts, investment bankers and risk officers.

The company's core products include the FactSet Workstation, an application offering customizable screening, charting, portfolio analysis and news; APIs and data feeds for seamless integration into proprietary systems; and cloud-based solutions for thematic research and quantitative strategies.

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