SlateStone Wealth LLC Takes Position in FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS)

Key Points

• SlateStone Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in FactSet Research Systems, purchasing 1,465 shares valued at approximately $666,000 in the first quarter.
• Insider trading activity includes significant sales, with CAO Gregory T. Moskoff selling 2,500 shares for over $1.1 million, reducing his stake by 98.27%.
• FactSet reported a miss on EPS for the last quarter at $4.27 compared to the estimated $4.30, despite revenues exceeding expectations.

SlateStone Wealth LLC bought a new stake in FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 1,465 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $666,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of FDS. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of 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 period. Blair William & Co. IL raised its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 2,358 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,132,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in FactSet Research Systems in the 4th quarter valued at about $12,132,000. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 12.9% in the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 22,856 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $10,977,000 after acquiring an additional 2,620 shares during the period. Finally, Allstate Corp bought a new position in FactSet Research Systems in the 4th quarter valued at about $537,000. 91.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FDS has been the topic of several research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $448.00 to $452.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, June 20th. Raymond James Financial raised shares of FactSet Research Systems from an "underperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, June 26th. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $470.00 to $448.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, June 16th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $402.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, June 20th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $503.00 price target 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 issued a hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $444.25.

FactSet Research Systems Price Performance

Shares of NYSE FDS traded up $4.35 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $395.68. 122,388 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 323,500. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.47 and a current ratio of 1.47. The company has a market cap of $14.96 billion, a PE ratio of 28.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.83. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $434.43 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $442.45. FactSet Research Systems Inc. has a 1-year low of $389.08 and a 1-year high of $499.87.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, June 23rd. The business services provider reported $4.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.30 by ($0.03). The firm 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 business's revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $4.37 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that FactSet Research Systems Inc. will post 17.21 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at FactSet Research Systems

In related news, CAO Gregory T. Moskoff sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $442.60, for a total value of $1,106,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 44 shares of the company's stock, valued at $19,474.40. This represents a 98.27% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, 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 transaction, the director directly owned 4,461 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,013,650.79. The trade was a 39.60% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 13,031 shares of company stock valued at $5,825,481 in the last quarter. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

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.