FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) Shares Sold by Mediolanum International Funds Ltd

Key Points

• Mediolanum International Funds Ltd reduced its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 37.0%, selling 8,769 shares in the first quarter, now holding 14,949 shares valued at $6,709,000.
• FactSet reported a missed EPS of $4.27 for the last quarter, slightly below the consensus estimate of $4.30, but revenue increased by 5.9% year-over-year.
• The company increased its quarterly dividend to $1.10 per share, up from a previous $1.04, reflecting a dividend yield of 1.05% and a payout ratio of 31.79%.

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd lessened its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS - Free Report) by 37.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,949 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 8,769 shares during the quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd's holdings in FactSet Research Systems were worth $6,709,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 44.4% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 15,493 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $7,441,000 after purchasing an additional 4,763 shares during the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 6.0% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 75,986 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $36,494,000 after acquiring an additional 4,283 shares during the last quarter. TIAA Trust National Association increased its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 15.5% during the 4th quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 528 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $254,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Korea Investment CORP increased its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 35.2% during the 4th quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 14,226 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $6,832,000 after acquiring an additional 3,700 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 501,068 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $240,653,000 after acquiring an additional 7,718 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.24% of the company's stock.

FactSet Research Systems Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of FactSet Research Systems stock traded down $0.60 on Wednesday, hitting $414.89. 47,506 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 317,555. The stock has a market cap of $15.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.98, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a quick ratio of 1.47, a current ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The firm's 50-day moving average is $438.19 and its 200 day moving average is $443.66. FactSet Research Systems Inc. has a 52-week low of $391.69 and a 52-week high of $499.87.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, June 23rd. The business services provider reported $4.27 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.30 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $585.52 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $580.70 million. FactSet Research Systems had a net margin of 23.30% and a return on equity of 31.59%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $4.37 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th were paid a dividend of $1.10 per share. This is a boost from FactSet Research Systems's previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.06%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 30th. FactSet Research Systems's dividend payout ratio is 31.79%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. 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. Raymond James Financial upgraded FactSet Research Systems from an "underperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, June 26th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on FactSet Research Systems from $448.00 to $452.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, June 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and set a $503.00 target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a report on Friday, June 20th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a report on Friday, June 20th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and six have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, FactSet Research Systems has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $444.25.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Gregory T. Moskoff sold 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $442.60, for a total transaction of $1,106,500.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 44 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $19,474.40. This represents a 98.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director James J. Mcgonigle sold 2,925 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $451.39, for a total value of $1,320,315.75. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,461 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,013,650.79. This represents a 39.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 13,031 shares of company stock worth $5,825,481. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About FactSet Research Systems

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.