First Trust Advisors LP Increases Position in FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS)

First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS - Free Report) by 397.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,917 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 7,124 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP's holdings in FactSet Research Systems were worth $4,283,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in FDS. Allworth Financial LP boosted its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 19.1% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 137 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in FactSet Research Systems by 19.2% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 205 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $99,000 after buying an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in FactSet Research Systems during the fourth quarter worth $102,000. Private Trust Co. NA grew its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 8.2% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 291 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $140,000 after buying an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems in the 4th quarter worth $174,000. 91.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

FactSet Research Systems Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of FDS traded down $2.99 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $430.10. 243,902 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 283,886. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a current ratio of 1.39. The firm has a market cap of $16.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.88. FactSet Research Systems Inc. has a 52-week low of $391.69 and a 52-week high of $499.87. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $433.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $458.91.

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

FactSet Research Systems Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be issued a dividend of $1.10 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. This is a positive change from FactSet Research Systems's previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.02%. FactSet Research Systems's dividend payout ratio is 31.29%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on FDS. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $525.00 to $480.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 21st. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $503.00 price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research note on Monday, March 10th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $498.00 to $466.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered FactSet Research Systems from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $450.00 to $402.00 in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on FactSet Research Systems from $409.00 to $390.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and five have assigned a hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, FactSet Research Systems currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $436.90.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Gregory T. Moskoff sold 363 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $433.73, for a total transaction of $157,443.99. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 44 shares of the company's stock, valued at $19,084.12. The trade was a 89.19 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

FactSet Research Systems 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.