Mizuho Markets Americas LLC Acquires Shares of 2,848 FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS)

Key Points

• Mizuho Markets Americas LLC established a new stake in FactSet Research Systems, purchasing 2,848 shares valued at approximately $1.3 million in the first quarter.
• FactSet's recent quarterly earnings showed $4.27 EPS, falling short of estimates, with revenue reaching $585.52 million, exceeding analyst expectations.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.10 per share, translating to an annualized dividend yield of 1.2%, payable to shareholders in late August.

Mizuho Markets Americas LLC acquired a new position in shares of FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 2,848 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,295,000.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of FDS. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 26.7% during the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 53,049 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $25,478,000 after acquiring an additional 11,177 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 17.2% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 456,149 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $219,079,000 after buying an additional 66,861 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia lifted its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 5,073 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $2,436,000 after buying an additional 203 shares in the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 4,699 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $2,257,000 after buying an additional 249 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Townsquare Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 25,371 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $12,185,000 after buying an additional 1,345 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.24% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $503.00 target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research note on Friday, June 20th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $448.00 to $452.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, June 20th. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of FactSet Research Systems from an "underperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $470.00 to $448.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $390.00 to $393.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday, June 20th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and six have assigned a hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $444.25.

Insider Activity at FactSet Research Systems

In related news, EVP Christopher R. Ellis sold 7,606 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 23,952 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,702,711.68. This trade represents a 24.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Gregory T. Moskoff sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $442.60, for a total transaction of $1,106,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 44 shares of the company's stock, valued at $19,474.40. The trade was a 98.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 13,031 shares of company stock valued at $5,825,481. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

FactSet Research Systems Stock Performance

FDS traded up $0.01 during trading on Thursday, hitting $376.21. The company's stock had a trading volume of 128,113 shares, compared to its average volume of 328,013. The company has a quick ratio of 1.47, a current ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. FactSet Research Systems Inc. has a one year low of $367.36 and a one year high of $499.87. The firm has a market cap of $14.22 billion, a PE ratio of 27.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.83. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $423.07 and its 200-day simple moving average is $438.29.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $585.52 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $580.70 million. FactSet Research Systems had a return on equity of 31.59% and a net margin of 23.30%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $4.37 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that FactSet Research Systems Inc. will post 17.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

FactSet Research Systems Announces Dividend

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

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.