FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) Shares Sold by Natixis

Natixis reduced its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS - Free Report) by 44.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,053 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 2,439 shares during the quarter. Natixis' holdings in FactSet Research Systems were worth $1,466,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allworth Financial LP lifted its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 19.1% during the fourth 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 period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in FactSet Research Systems by 19.2% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 205 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $99,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of FactSet Research Systems during the 4th quarter worth approximately $102,000. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its holdings in shares of 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 during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 61.8% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 369 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $170,000 after buying an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.24% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other FactSet Research Systems news, CAO Gregory T. Moskoff sold 363 shares of FactSet Research Systems 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 44 shares of the company's stock, valued at $19,084.12. The trade was a 89.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

FactSet Research Systems Stock Performance

FDS stock traded up $1.47 during trading on Monday, hitting $425.94. 36,175 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 283,454. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.82. 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 moving average price of $437.31 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $460.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 24.16% and a return on equity of 33.92%. The business had revenue of $570.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $570.65 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $4.22 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that FactSet Research Systems Inc. will post 17.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

FactSet Research Systems Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. FactSet Research Systems's dividend payout ratio is presently 29.59%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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