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

FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” by the thirteen analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have assigned a hold rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $453.46.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on FDS. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They set an “inline” rating and a $470.00 price target for the company. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on FactSet Research Systems from $469.00 to $493.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $503.00 target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on FactSet Research Systems from $435.00 to $503.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $485.00 to $525.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th.

FactSet Research Systems Stock Performance

NYSE FDS opened at $475.06 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.25. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $481.27 and its two-hundred day moving average is $448.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 0.76. FactSet Research Systems has a fifty-two week low of $391.84 and a fifty-two week high of $499.87.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 19th. The business services provider reported $4.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.25 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 $568.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $565.14 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $4.12 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that FactSet Research Systems will post 17.2 earnings per share for the current year.

FactSet Research Systems Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 19th. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th were paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 29th. FactSet Research Systems’s payout ratio is currently 29.82%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider John Costigan sold 1,622 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $481.00, for a total transaction of $780,182.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 299 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $143,819. The trade was a 84.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of FactSet Research Systems

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of FDS. Raymond James Trust N.A. lifted its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 948 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $436,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Andina Capital Management LLC raised its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Andina Capital Management LLC now owns 715 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $329,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Argent Trust Co lifted its position in FactSet Research Systems by 2.1% in the second quarter. Argent Trust Co now owns 1,312 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $536,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 4.0% in the second quarter. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 834 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $341,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HBK Sorce Advisory LLC grew its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 4.8% during the second quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 736 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $300,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. 91.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.