Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Takes Position in FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS)

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 81,793 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $39,284,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned about 0.22% of FactSet Research Systems at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of FDS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 12.0% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 493,350 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $226,867,000 after purchasing an additional 52,741 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 61.8% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 369 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $170,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,031 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,456,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares during the period. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,572 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $755,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the period. Finally, Mediolanum International Funds Ltd raised its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 35.4% during the 4th quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd now owns 23,718 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $11,420,000 after acquiring an additional 6,207 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.24% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at FactSet Research Systems

In other news, CAO Gregory T. Moskoff sold 363 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $433.73, for a total transaction of $157,443.99. Following 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

FactSet Research Systems Price Performance

NYSE FDS traded down $8.20 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $457.37. 554,135 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 292,625. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $440.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $458.33. FactSet Research Systems Inc. has a 1 year low of $391.69 and a 1 year high of $499.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.39. The company has a market cap of $17.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.88.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 20th. The business services provider reported $4.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.17 by $0.11. FactSet Research Systems had a return on equity of 33.92% and a net margin of 24.16%. The business had revenue of $570.70 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $570.65 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $4.22 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that FactSet Research Systems Inc. will post 17.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

FactSet Research Systems Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be given a dividend of $1.10 per share. This is an increase from FactSet Research Systems's previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.96%. FactSet Research Systems's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.29%.

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.