FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) Receives $285.69 Average Price Target from Brokerages

Shares of FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) have earned an average recommendation of “Reduce” from the seventeen ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $279.8462.

FDS has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on FactSet Research Systems from $253.00 to $217.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Barclays dropped their target price on FactSet Research Systems from $300.00 to $210.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 23rd. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on FactSet Research Systems from $311.00 to $305.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on FactSet Research Systems in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $195.00 price target for the company.

FactSet Research Systems Stock Performance

Shares of FDS stock opened at $227.26 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.43 billion, a PE ratio of 14.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.73. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $215.51 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $259.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. FactSet Research Systems has a 12 month low of $185.00 and a 12 month high of $474.79.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 31st. The business services provider reported $4.46 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.37 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $611.02 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $604.78 million. FactSet Research Systems had a net margin of 24.48% and a return on equity of 30.25%. The business’s revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $4.28 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that FactSet Research Systems will post 17.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

FactSet Research Systems Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 27th were paid a $1.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 27th. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. FactSet Research Systems’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.30%.

FactSet Research Systems announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Thursday, December 18th that permits the company to repurchase $600.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the business services provider to buy up to 5.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at FactSet Research Systems

In other FactSet Research Systems news, Director Malcolm Frank sold 2,572 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $295.70, for a total value of $760,540.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 879 shares in the company, valued at approximately $259,920.30. This trade represents a 74.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Laurie Siegel sold 2,572 shares of FactSet Research Systems stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $296.25, for a total transaction of $761,955.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 1,037 shares in the company, valued at approximately $307,211.25. This represents a 71.27% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 1.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of FactSet Research Systems

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of FDS. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 6,866 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,071,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. Claret Asset Management Corp raised its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 7.0% during the 2nd quarter. Claret Asset Management Corp now owns 532 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $238,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Aurora Investment Managers LLC. boosted its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Aurora Investment Managers LLC. now owns 3,928 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,140,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC grew its position in FactSet Research Systems by 3.3% during the third quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 1,145 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $328,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Finally, Covestor Ltd grew its position in FactSet Research Systems by 53.4% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 112 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the period. 91.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

FactSet Research Systems Company Profile

FactSet Research Systems Inc operates as a global provider of integrated financial data and analytics to the investment community. Founded in 1978 and headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut, the company offers a unified platform that aggregates content from thousands of sources, delivering real-time and historical market data, company fundamentals, estimates, fixed-income information and proprietary analytics to portfolio managers, research analysts, investment bankers and risk officers.

The company’s core products include the FactSet Workstation, an application offering customizable screening, charting, portfolio analysis and news; APIs and data feeds for seamless integration into proprietary systems; and cloud-based solutions for thematic research and quantitative strategies.