FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) Short Interest Update

FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) was the target of a large increase in short interest in the month of January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 2,299,198 shares, an increase of 27.6% from the January 15th total of 1,801,249 shares. Approximately 6.3% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 683,299 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.4 days. Based on an average daily volume of 683,299 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.4 days. Approximately 6.3% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and issued a $290.00 price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Zacks Research raised shares of FactSet Research Systems from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley set a $307.00 price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research note on Friday, December 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and six have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $298.54.

Insider Buying and Selling at FactSet Research Systems

In related news, Director Laurie Siegel sold 2,572 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $296.25, for a total transaction of $761,955.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 1,037 shares in the company, valued at $307,211.25. The trade was a 71.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Malcolm Frank sold 2,572 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $295.70, for a total transaction of $760,540.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 879 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $259,920.30. The trade was a 74.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On FactSet Research Systems

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. boosted its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 4,300.0% in the 2nd quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 88 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Corp bought a new position in FactSet Research Systems in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Cromwell Holdings LLC purchased a new position in FactSet Research Systems in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. WPG Advisers LLC grew its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 76.9% during the 4th quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 92 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Finally, Generali Investments Management Co LLC bought a new stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems during the 2nd quarter valued at about $42,000. Institutional investors own 91.24% of the company’s stock.

FactSet Research Systems Stock Performance

FDS stock opened at $189.86 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $268.33 and its 200 day simple moving average is $297.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. FactSet Research Systems has a 12-month low of $185.00 and a 12-month high of $474.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.04 billion, a PE ratio of 12.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.73.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 18th. The business services provider reported $4.51 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.36 by $0.15. FactSet Research Systems had a return on equity of 30.49% and a net margin of 25.40%.The firm had revenue of $607.62 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $599.69 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $4.37 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. FactSet Research Systems has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.900-17.600 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that FactSet Research Systems will post 17.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

FactSet Research Systems Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be paid a $1.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. FactSet Research Systems’s payout ratio is currently 27.99%.

FactSet Research Systems declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, December 18th that authorizes the company to buyback $600.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the business services provider to repurchase up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

About FactSet Research Systems

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.