FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) Sets New 12-Month High – Here’s What Happened

FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $489.67 and last traded at $489.67, with a volume of 41264 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $484.27.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on FactSet Research Systems from $464.00 to $503.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Redburn Atlantic lowered FactSet Research Systems from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $420.00 to $380.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on FactSet Research Systems from $451.00 to $469.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, September 20th. UBS Group raised their price target on FactSet Research Systems from $455.00 to $485.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on FactSet Research Systems from $440.00 to $471.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, FactSet Research Systems presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $443.57.

FactSet Research Systems Stock Up 1.0 %

The company has a market capitalization of $18.82 billion, a PE ratio of 35.65, a P/E/G ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 1.25. The company has a 50-day moving average of $460.40 and a two-hundred day moving average of $433.15.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, September 19th. The business services provider reported $3.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.62 by $0.12. FactSet Research Systems had a return on equity of 34.77% and a net margin of 24.38%. The company had revenue of $562.20 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $547.06 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.93 earnings per share. FactSet Research Systems’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that FactSet Research Systems Inc. will post 17.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

FactSet Research Systems Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 payout ratio is 29.93%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Frederick Philip Snow sold 3,000 shares of FactSet Research Systems stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $416.59, for a total value of $1,249,770.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 12,915 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,380,259.85. The trade was a 18.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director James J. Mcgonigle sold 5,410 shares of FactSet Research Systems stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $456.83, for a total value of $2,471,450.30. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 5,283 shares in the company, valued at $2,413,432.89. This trade represents a 50.59 % 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 ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On FactSet Research Systems

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in FDS. Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 2,873.9% in the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 119,582 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $48,822,000 after purchasing an additional 115,561 shares during the last quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 53.3% during the second quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 272,973 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $111,447,000 after acquiring an additional 94,952 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in FactSet Research Systems during the third quarter worth approximately $38,909,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 21.5% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 235,387 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $96,113,000 after acquiring an additional 41,717 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Boston Trust Walden Corp increased its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 9.3% during the third quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 296,329 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $136,267,000 after acquiring an additional 25,294 shares during the last quarter. 91.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.