HighTower Advisors LLC Decreases Stock Position in FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS)

Key Points

• HighTower Advisors LLC reduced its stake in FactSet Research Systems Inc. by 5.2%, totaling 89,018 shares valued at $40.47 million after selling 4,841 shares during the first quarter.
• FactSet Research Systems announced a quarterly dividend of $1.10 per share, representing an annualized yield of 1.2%, to be paid to investors of record on August 29th.
• FactSet's recent earnings report showed a slight miss, with earnings of $4.27 EPS for the quarter compared to analysts’ estimate of $4.30, while revenue increased 5.9% year-over-year to $585.52 million.

HighTower Advisors LLC cut its holdings in FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS - Free Report) by 5.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 89,018 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 4,841 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC owned about 0.23% of FactSet Research Systems worth $40,471,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in FDS. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems in the 4th quarter worth about $246,000. Mariner LLC lifted its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 15,549 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $7,468,000 after purchasing an additional 333 shares in the last quarter. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan purchased a new position in FactSet Research Systems in the 4th quarter valued at about $298,000. Gabelli Funds LLC lifted its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 4,500 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $2,161,000 after purchasing an additional 2,250 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 5,374 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $2,581,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. 91.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

FactSet Research Systems Stock Up 1.4%

FDS opened at $376.04 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $423.07 and a 200 day moving average price of $438.29. The company has a market cap of $14.22 billion, a PE ratio of 27.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.83. FactSet Research Systems Inc. has a 1 year low of $367.36 and a 1 year high of $499.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.47 and a current ratio of 1.47.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, June 23rd. The business services provider reported $4.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.30 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $585.52 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $580.70 million. FactSet Research Systems had a return on equity of 31.59% and a net margin of 23.30%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $4.37 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that FactSet Research Systems Inc. will post 17.21 earnings per share for the current year.

FactSet Research Systems Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 18th. Investors of record on Friday, August 29th will be given a dividend of $1.10 per share. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 29th. FactSet Research Systems's dividend payout ratio is 31.79%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director James J. Mcgonigle sold 2,925 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $451.39, for a total transaction of $1,320,315.75. Following the completion of the sale, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Christopher R. Ellis sold 7,606 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $446.84, for a total transaction of $3,398,665.04. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 23,952 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,702,711.68. This trade represents a 24.10% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 13,031 shares of company stock valued at $5,825,481. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

FDS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a report on Friday, June 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $503.00 price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research note on Friday, June 20th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $448.00 to $452.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, June 20th. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $470.00 to $448.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, June 16th. Finally, Raymond James Financial raised shares of FactSet Research Systems from an "underperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and six have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target 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.

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