FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) Stock Position Raised by DnB Asset Management AS

DnB Asset Management AS lifted its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) by 2.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,606 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the period. DnB Asset Management AS’s holdings in FactSet Research Systems were worth $3,173,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 164.0% in the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 5,124 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,356,000 after purchasing an additional 3,183 shares during the period. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 14.0% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 77,447 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $35,614,000 after purchasing an additional 9,506 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 2.0% in the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 15,241 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $7,009,000 after buying an additional 303 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 3.1% during the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 6,698 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,080,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Verition Fund Management LLC acquired a new position in FactSet Research Systems during the third quarter valued at $5,894,000. 91.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at FactSet Research Systems

In other FactSet Research Systems news, CAO Gregory T. Moskoff sold 363 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $433.73, for a total transaction of $157,443.99. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 44 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,084.12. The trade was a 89.19 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

FactSet Research Systems Trading Up 1.4 %

FactSet Research Systems stock opened at $454.95 on Tuesday. FactSet Research Systems Inc. has a one year low of $391.84 and a one year high of $499.87. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $453.90 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $465.18. The company has a market capitalization of $17.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.61, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.39.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 20th. The business services provider reported $4.28 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.17 by $0.11. FactSet Research Systems had a return on equity of 33.92% and a net margin of 24.16%. The business had revenue of $570.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $570.65 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $4.22 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that FactSet Research Systems Inc. will post 17.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

FactSet Research Systems Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 20th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. FactSet Research Systems’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.59%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on FDS shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut FactSet Research Systems from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $450.00 to $402.00 in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $469.00 to $493.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $409.00 to $390.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 21st. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $525.00 to $480.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $503.00 price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a report on Monday, March 10th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and five have issued a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, FactSet Research Systems currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $436.27.

FactSet Research Systems 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.