Raymond James & Associates Grows Holdings in FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS)

Raymond James & Associates raised its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS - Free Report) by 2.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 113,178 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 2,642 shares during the quarter. Raymond James & Associates owned about 0.30% of FactSet Research Systems worth $51,427,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of FDS. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,559,576 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $2,175,146,000 after purchasing an additional 16,801 shares during the period. Bamco Inc. NY grew its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 2,751,596 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,203,163,000 after buying an additional 8,862 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley increased its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 100.1% in the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 1,396,225 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $610,515,000 after acquiring an additional 698,611 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 15.3% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 503,467 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $220,146,000 after acquiring an additional 66,986 shares during the period. Finally, Fiera Capital Corp boosted its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 1.6% during the third quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 441,046 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $192,852,000 after acquiring an additional 6,960 shares in the last quarter. 91.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Frederick Philip Snow sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $452.10, for a total value of $1,356,300.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 12,915 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,838,871.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other FactSet Research Systems news, CEO Frederick Philip Snow sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $452.10, for a total transaction of $1,356,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 12,915 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,838,871.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Gregory T. Moskoff sold 330 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $419.50, for a total value of $138,435.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 72 shares in the company, valued at $30,204. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 6,330 shares of company stock valued at $2,740,515 in the last ninety days. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

FactSet Research Systems Stock Up 1.2 %

FactSet Research Systems stock traded up $4.89 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $428.25. 197,396 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 254,506. The company has a quick ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.73. FactSet Research Systems Inc. has a 52-week low of $380.96 and a 52-week high of $488.64. The business's 50-day moving average price is $446.95 and its 200-day moving average price is $454.00.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 21st. The business services provider reported $4.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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%. On average, research analysts expect that FactSet Research Systems Inc. will post 15.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

FactSet Research Systems Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 31st will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 31st. This is a positive change from FactSet Research Systems's previous quarterly dividend of $0.98. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.97%. FactSet Research Systems's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on FDS shares. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and issued a $464.00 price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a $469.00 price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Barclays restated an "equal weight" rating and set a $460.00 price objective (down previously from $480.00) on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Oppenheimer reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $447.00 to $458.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 25th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have assigned a hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $442.70.

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.