FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) Given Average Recommendation of “Reduce” by Brokerages

Shares of FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) have been assigned an average rating of “Reduce” from the fourteen ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and nine have given a hold recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $443.57.

A number of brokerages have recently commented on FDS. Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. They set an “inline” rating and a $470.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group raised their price objective on FactSet Research Systems from $455.00 to $485.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. Redburn Atlantic lowered FactSet Research Systems from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $420.00 to $380.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on FactSet Research Systems from $464.00 to $503.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on FactSet Research Systems from $451.00 to $469.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, September 20th.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider John Costigan sold 1,622 shares of FactSet Research Systems stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $481.00, for a total value of $780,182.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 299 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $143,819. The trade was a 84.44 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Christopher R. Ellis sold 13,952 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $456.15, for a total value of $6,364,204.80. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 23,515 shares in the company, valued at $10,726,367.25. This trade represents a 37.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 26,984 shares of company stock worth $12,230,877 over the last three months. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On FactSet Research Systems

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems in the third quarter valued at $26,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in FactSet Research Systems by 144.4% during the second quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 66 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the period. Crewe Advisors LLC raised its position in FactSet Research Systems by 750.0% during the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC raised its position in FactSet Research Systems by 6,700.0% during the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 68 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. Finally, Gladius Capital Management LP acquired a new position in FactSet Research Systems during the second quarter valued at $33,000. 91.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

FactSet Research Systems Stock Performance

FDS stock opened at $495.51 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $18.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.65, a PEG ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 0.75. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $460.40 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $433.15. FactSet Research Systems has a one year low of $391.84 and a one year high of $499.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.25.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 19th. The business services provider reported $3.74 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.62 by $0.12. FactSet Research Systems had a net margin of 24.38% and a return on equity of 34.77%. The firm had revenue of $562.20 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $547.06 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.93 EPS. FactSet Research Systems’s revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that FactSet Research Systems will post 17.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

FactSet Research Systems Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 29th will be given a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 29th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.84%. FactSet Research Systems’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.93%.

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.