FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) Shares Sold by D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc.

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. lowered its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS - Free Report) by 61.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,590 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 7,469 shares during the quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc.'s holdings in FactSet Research Systems were worth $2,204,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in FDS. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in FactSet Research Systems by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,572 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $755,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP increased its position in FactSet Research Systems by 19.1% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 137 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $64,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA increased its position in FactSet Research Systems by 8.2% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 291 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $140,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. increased its position in FactSet Research Systems by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 1,214 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $583,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cerro Pacific Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in FactSet Research Systems by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Cerro Pacific Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,759 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $809,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.24% of the company's stock.

FactSet Research Systems Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:FDS traded down $0.34 during trading on Friday, reaching $463.65. The stock had a trading volume of 171,323 shares, compared to its average volume of 291,699. FactSet Research Systems Inc. has a one year low of $391.69 and a one year high of $499.87. The company has a market capitalization of $17.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.24, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $437.97 and its 200 day simple moving average is $458.74.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 20th. The business services provider reported $4.28 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.17 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $570.70 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $570.65 million. FactSet Research Systems had a net margin of 24.16% and a return on equity of 33.92%. FactSet Research Systems's revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $4.22 EPS. As a group, research 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th will be given a $1.10 dividend. This is a positive change from FactSet Research Systems's previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. FactSet Research Systems's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.29%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $409.00 to $390.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 21st. Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $503.00 price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a report on Monday, March 10th. Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of FactSet Research Systems from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and cut their price target for the stock from $450.00 to $402.00 in a report on Friday, March 21st. UBS Group cut 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 report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $498.00 to $466.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and five have issued a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $436.90.

Insider Activity at FactSet Research Systems

In other FactSet Research Systems news, CAO Gregory T. Moskoff sold 363 shares of the firm'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 transaction 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 trade represents a 89.19% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.