Stifel Nicolaus Reaffirms Hold Rating for FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS)

Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed their hold rating on shares of FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS - Free Report) in a research report released on Friday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $469.00 target price on the business services provider's stock.

FDS has been the subject of several other reports. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on FactSet Research Systems from $436.00 to $447.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 20th. Oppenheimer restated a market perform rating on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research report on Friday. Barclays reiterated an equal weight rating and set a $460.00 price objective (down from $480.00) on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research report on Friday. Royal Bank of Canada restated a sector perform rating and issued a $464.00 target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research note on Friday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $377.00 to $419.00 and gave the company a sell rating in a research note on Friday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have issued a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, FactSet Research Systems presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $442.89.

FactSet Research Systems Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE FDS traded down $2.88 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $447.78. The company's stock had a trading volume of 456,073 shares, compared to its average volume of 225,864. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 1.68. FactSet Research Systems has a 1-year low of $377.89 and a 1-year high of $488.64. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $469.09 and its 200-day moving average price is $454.91. The firm has a market cap of $17.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.73.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 21st. The business services provider reported $4.22 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.83 by $0.39. FactSet Research Systems had a return on equity of 34.47% and a net margin of 22.60%. The company had revenue of $545.95 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $547.93 million. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that FactSet Research Systems will post 15.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

FactSet Research Systems Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 29th were given a $0.98 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 28th. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.88%. FactSet Research Systems's dividend payout ratio is currently 31.72%.

Insider Activity at FactSet Research Systems

In other FactSet Research Systems news, CTO Katherine M. Stepp sold 1,014 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $469.25, for a total value of $475,819.50. Following the sale, the chief technology officer now owns 687 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $322,374.75. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other news, CTO Katherine M. Stepp sold 1,014 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $469.25, for a total value of $475,819.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer now directly owns 687 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $322,374.75. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Frederick Philip Snow sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $476.02, for a total transaction of $1,428,060.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 12,915 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,147,798.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 5,514 shares of company stock worth $2,617,640. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of FactSet Research Systems

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of FactSet Research Systems in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Covestor Ltd grew its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 82.9% during the 2nd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 64 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 29 shares during the period. First Capital Advisors Group LLC. bought a new stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems in the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Clear Street Markets LLC increased its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 94.9% in the first quarter. Clear Street Markets LLC now owns 76 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tyler Stone Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of FactSet Research Systems during the second quarter worth $32,000. 89.50% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About FactSet Research Systems

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.