FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) to Issue Dividend Increase - $1.04 Per Share

FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS - Get Free Report) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, May 2nd, Wall Street Journal reports. Investors of record on Friday, May 31st will be given a dividend of 1.04 per share by the business services provider on Thursday, June 20th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 31st. This is a boost from FactSet Research Systems's previous quarterly dividend of $0.98.

FactSet Research Systems has raised its dividend payment by an average of 8.1% annually over the last three years and has raised its dividend annually for the last 25 consecutive years. FactSet Research Systems has a payout ratio of 22.3% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect FactSet Research Systems to earn $17.37 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $3.92 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 22.6%.

FactSet Research Systems Trading Up 0.9 %

FactSet Research Systems stock traded up $3.79 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $423.36. The company's stock had a trading volume of 217,286 shares, compared to its average volume of 240,857. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $448.37 and a 200-day moving average price of $454.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.79 and a quick ratio of 1.79. FactSet Research Systems has a 12 month low of $380.96 and a 12 month high of $488.64. The stock has a market cap of $16.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.73.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 21st. The business services provider reported $4.22 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.83 by $0.39. The firm had revenue of $545.95 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $547.93 million. FactSet Research Systems had a return on equity of 34.36% and a net margin of 22.72%. As a group, analysts forecast that FactSet Research Systems will post 15.82 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on FDS shares. Oppenheimer reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $469.00 price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a report on Thursday, April 11th. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $430.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $464.00 price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, Barclays reissued an "equal weight" rating and issued a $460.00 target price (down from $480.00) on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $442.70.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other FactSet Research Systems news, CAO Gregory T. Moskoff sold 330 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $419.50, for a total transaction of $138,435.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 72 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,204. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Frederick Philip Snow sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $415.26, for a total value of $1,245,780.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 12,915 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,363,082.90. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Gregory T. Moskoff sold 330 shares of FactSet Research Systems stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $419.50, for a total transaction of $138,435.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 72 shares of the company's stock, valued at $30,204. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 6,330 shares of company stock worth $2,740,515 over the last three months. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

FactSet Research Systems Company 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.