Freestone Grove Partners LP Makes New Investment in FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS)

Freestone Grove Partners LP purchased a new stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 804 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $386,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 19.1% in 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 in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 19.2% in 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. bought a new stake in FactSet Research Systems during the fourth quarter valued at $102,000. Private Trust Co. NA grew its position in FactSet Research Systems by 8.2% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 291 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $140,000 after buying an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in FactSet Research Systems in the 4th quarter worth about $174,000. 91.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

FactSet Research Systems Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of FDS stock opened at $434.70 on Monday. 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 business has a 50-day moving average of $433.89 and a 200 day moving average of $459.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.50 billion, a PE ratio of 31.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.88. FactSet Research Systems Inc. has a 1-year low of $391.69 and a 1-year high of $499.87.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 20th. The business services provider reported $4.28 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.17 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $570.70 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $570.65 million. FactSet Research Systems had a net margin of 24.16% and a return on equity of 33.92%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $4.22 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that FactSet Research Systems Inc. will post 17.21 earnings per share for the current year.

FactSet Research Systems Increases Dividend

The firm 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 a positive change from FactSet Research Systems's previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.01%. FactSet Research Systems's dividend payout ratio is presently 31.29%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Gregory T. Moskoff sold 363 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $433.73, for a total value of $157,443.99. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 44 shares of the company's stock, valued at $19,084.12. This trade represents a 89.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FDS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on FactSet Research Systems from $498.00 to $466.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 24th. Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of FactSet Research Systems from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $450.00 to $402.00 in a research report on Friday, March 21st. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $525.00 to $480.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on FactSet Research Systems from $409.00 to $390.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $503.00 price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a report on Monday, March 10th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and five have given a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $436.90.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding FDS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.