Willis Investment Counsel Acquires 4,795 Shares of FactSet Research Systems Inc. $FDS

Key Points

• Willis Investment Counsel increased its FactSet Research Systems stake by 9.4% in the third quarter, adding 4,795 shares to hold 55,816 shares valued at approximately $15.1 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 91.24% of the company.
• FactSet reported quarterly earnings of $4.52 per share, exceeding the $4.35 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 6.3% year over year to $634.7 million. The company guided to fiscal 2027 EPS of $19.25–$19.65.
• Shares recently traded at $310.67, above the analyst consensus price target of $271.79; analysts’ consensus rating remains “Reduce.” FactSet also maintains a quarterly dividend of $1.16 per share, yielding about 1.5% annually.

Willis Investment Counsel grew its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS - Free Report) by 9.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 55,816 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 4,795 shares during the quarter. Willis Investment Counsel owned approximately 0.16% of FactSet Research Systems worth $15,068,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of FDS. Bamco Inc. NY acquired a new stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $966,533,000. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in FactSet Research Systems during the second quarter worth $657,658,000. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 33.6% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 842,715 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $182,861,000 after acquiring an additional 212,022 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 123.5% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 377,926 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $82,006,000 after acquiring an additional 208,824 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in shares of FactSet Research Systems in the 2nd quarter valued at about $68,587,000. 91.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

FactSet Research Systems Stock Performance

Shares of FDS stock traded up $7.46 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $310.67. 341,124 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 926,923. FactSet Research Systems Inc. has a 1 year low of $185.00 and a 1 year high of $320.48. The firm's 50-day moving average is $286.49 and its 200 day moving average is $255.99. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The company has a market capitalization of $11.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.36, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.77.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, September 30th. The business services provider reported $4.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.35 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $634.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $629.83 million. FactSet Research Systems had a net margin of 21.54% and a return on equity of 31.66%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $4.05 earnings per share. FactSet Research Systems has set its FY 2027 guidance at 19.250-19.650 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that FactSet Research Systems Inc. will post 19.63 EPS for the current year.

FactSet Research Systems Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 31st were given a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 31st. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. FactSet Research Systems's dividend payout ratio is 31.87%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $230.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $240.00 to $304.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Barclays raised their target price on FactSet Research Systems from $216.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. Bank of America lifted their price target on FactSet Research Systems from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on FactSet Research Systems from $280.00 to $299.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, September 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and six have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $271.79.

FactSet Research Systems Profile

FactSet Research Systems Inc provides financial data, analytics and workflow technology to investment professionals and financial institutions. Its platform brings together market, company, economic and alternative data with tools for research, portfolio analysis, risk management, trading, performance measurement and reporting.

The company serves asset managers, wealth managers, investment banks, private-equity firms, corporations and other financial professionals. Its products support activities including equity and fixed-income research, portfolio construction, screening, client reporting, investment-banking analysis and environmental, social and governance research.

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