Analysts Set FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) Target Price at $442.70

FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) has received an average rating of “Reduce” from the eleven brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have issued a hold rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $442.70.

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $377.00 to $419.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $469.00 target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $447.00 to $458.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, March 25th. Oppenheimer reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $464.00 price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research report on Friday, March 22nd.

FactSet Research Systems Stock Performance

FDS stock opened at $428.25 on Monday. FactSet Research Systems has a 1-year low of $380.96 and a 1-year high of $488.64. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $446.95 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $454.03. The firm has a market cap of $16.32 billion, a PE ratio of 33.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a current ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, March 21st. The business services provider reported $4.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.83 by $0.39. The business had revenue of $545.95 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $547.93 million. FactSet Research Systems had a return on equity of 34.36% and a net margin of 22.72%. As a group, research analysts forecast that FactSet Research Systems will post 15.82 earnings per share for the current year.

FactSet Research Systems Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 31st will be paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.97%. This is an increase from FactSet Research Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.98. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 31st. FactSet Research Systems’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.04%.

Insider Transactions at FactSet Research Systems

In other FactSet Research Systems news, CEO Frederick Philip Snow sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $452.10, for a total transaction of $1,356,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 12,915 shares in the company, valued at $5,838,871.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other FactSet Research Systems news, CAO Gregory T. Moskoff sold 330 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $419.50, for a total value of $138,435.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 72 shares in the company, valued at $30,204. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Frederick Philip Snow sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $452.10, for a total transaction of $1,356,300.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 12,915 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,838,871.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 6,330 shares of company stock valued at $2,740,515. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of FactSet Research Systems

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Morgan Stanley increased its position in FactSet Research Systems by 100.1% in the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 1,396,225 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $610,515,000 after acquiring an additional 698,611 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Kokusai Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 671.0% during the third quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Kokusai Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 243,829 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $106,617,000 after acquiring an additional 212,204 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems in the 4th quarter valued at $47,977,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in FactSet Research Systems during the fourth quarter worth $45,288,000. Finally, PineStone Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 117.0% in the fourth quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 163,521 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $78,008,000 after buying an additional 88,173 shares during the period. 91.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About FactSet Research Systems

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.