FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) Short Interest Up 5.3% in July

FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) saw a large increase in short interest in the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,170,000 shares, an increase of 5.3% from the June 30th total of 2,060,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 288,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 7.5 days.

FactSet Research Systems Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:FDS traded down $2.71 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $414.11. 106,807 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 261,397. FactSet Research Systems has a 12-month low of $391.84 and a 12-month high of $488.64. The company has a market cap of $15.75 billion, a PE ratio of 31.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $416.57 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $440.41. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last announced its earnings results on Friday, June 21st. The business services provider reported $4.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.91 by $0.46. FactSet Research Systems had a net margin of 23.56% and a return on equity of 34.48%. The company had revenue of $552.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $552.71 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.79 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that FactSet Research Systems will post 16.29 EPS for the current year.

FactSet Research Systems Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 31st were paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 31st. This is a positive change from FactSet Research Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.98. FactSet Research Systems’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Goran Skoko sold 4,106 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $428.57, for a total transaction of $1,759,708.42. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,262 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,255,135.34. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, EVP Goran Skoko sold 4,106 shares of FactSet Research Systems stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $428.57, for a total transaction of $1,759,708.42. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,262 shares in the company, valued at $2,255,135.34. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Frederick Philip Snow sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $400.00, for a total transaction of $1,200,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 12,915 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,166,000. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 24,089 shares of company stock worth $10,221,798. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On FactSet Research Systems

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in FactSet Research Systems by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 254,556 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $115,752,000 after purchasing an additional 10,727 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 368,765 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $175,919,000 after buying an additional 20,787 shares during the period. Advisors Preferred LLC acquired a new stake in FactSet Research Systems in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,024,000. abrdn plc raised its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 17.4% during the fourth quarter. abrdn plc now owns 68,911 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $32,874,000 after purchasing an additional 10,230 shares during the period. Finally, Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in FactSet Research Systems during the 4th quarter worth $8,833,000. 91.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on FDS shares. Wolfe Research began coverage on FactSet Research Systems in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $430.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America cut shares of FactSet Research Systems from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $500.00 to $407.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $464.00 price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research report on Monday, June 24th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on FactSet Research Systems from $455.00 to $378.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 5th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $432.00.

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.