FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) Shares Gap Down – Time to Sell?

Shares of FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) gapped down before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $473.05, but opened at $459.15. FactSet Research Systems shares last traded at $473.21, with a volume of 30,972 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on FDS. Redburn Atlantic cut FactSet Research Systems from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and cut their price target for the company from $420.00 to $380.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. 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 target on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $373.00 to $409.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on FactSet Research Systems from $435.00 to $503.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on FactSet Research Systems from $471.00 to $521.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, FactSet Research Systems has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $453.69.

FactSet Research Systems Trading Down 1.3 %

The company has a market capitalization of $18.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $476.92 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $442.24.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, December 19th. The business services provider reported $4.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.25 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $568.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $565.14 million. FactSet Research Systems had a return on equity of 34.77% and a net margin of 24.38%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $4.12 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that FactSet Research Systems Inc. will post 17.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

FactSet Research Systems Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 29th were issued a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 29th. FactSet Research Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.93%.

Insider Activity at FactSet Research Systems

In other FactSet Research Systems news, CEO Frederick Philip Snow sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $455.09, for a total value of $1,365,270.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 12,987 shares in the company, valued at $5,910,253.83. This trade represents a 18.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Christopher R. Ellis sold 13,952 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $456.15, for a total transaction of $6,364,204.80. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 23,515 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,726,367.25. The trade was a 37.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 23,984 shares of company stock valued at $10,981,107. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On FactSet Research Systems

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FDS. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of FactSet Research Systems in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 144.4% during the 2nd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 66 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. Crewe Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 750.0% during the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 68 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC increased its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 6,700.0% in the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 68 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in FactSet Research Systems during the third quarter worth about $34,000. 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.