Strong Tower Advisory Services Boosts Stock Position in FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS)

Strong Tower Advisory Services grew its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS - Free Report) by 27.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,403 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 1,396 shares during the period. Strong Tower Advisory Services' holdings in FactSet Research Systems were worth $2,911,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC bought a new position in FactSet Research Systems during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. American National Bank & Trust purchased a new position in FactSet Research Systems during the 1st quarter valued at about $44,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its holdings 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 valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 19.1% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Menard Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in FactSet Research Systems during the 4th quarter valued at about $91,000. 91.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Gregory T. Moskoff sold 363 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $433.73, for a total transaction of $157,443.99. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 44 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $19,084.12. The trade was a 89.19% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

FactSet Research Systems Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:FDS traded down $2.17 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $431.62. 96,841 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 292,732. FactSet Research Systems Inc. has a 52 week low of $391.69 and a 52 week high of $499.87. The firm has a market cap of $16.38 billion, a PE ratio of 30.94, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.86. The company's 50 day moving average price is $440.40 and its 200-day moving average price is $457.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.39.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 33.92% and a net margin of 24.16%. The business had revenue of $570.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $570.65 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.22 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that FactSet Research Systems Inc. will post 17.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

FactSet Research Systems Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be given a dividend of $1.10 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.02%. This is an increase from FactSet Research Systems's previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. FactSet Research Systems's payout ratio is currently 31.29%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FDS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on 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. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on FactSet Research Systems from $409.00 to $390.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and issued a $503.00 target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research note on Tuesday. UBS Group cut their target price on FactSet Research Systems from $525.00 to $480.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company downgraded FactSet Research Systems from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $450.00 to $402.00 in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and five have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $440.22.

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.