FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) Hits New 1-Year Low After Analyst Downgrade

FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS)’s stock price reached a new 52-week low during trading on Tuesday after Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on the stock from $215.00 to $195.00. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an underweight rating on the stock. FactSet Research Systems traded as low as $189.16 and last traded at $188.9910, with a volume of 272979 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $205.79.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on FDS. Bank of America started coverage on FactSet Research Systems in a research report on Tuesday. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $195.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $320.00 price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a report on Friday, December 19th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of FactSet Research Systems from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Morgan Stanley set a $307.00 price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and set a $305.00 price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research report on Friday, December 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and six have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $298.54.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other FactSet Research Systems news, Director Laurie Siegel sold 2,572 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $296.25, for a total transaction of $761,955.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 1,037 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $307,211.25. This trade represents a 71.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Malcolm Frank sold 2,572 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, the director owned 879 shares in the company, valued at $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 insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On FactSet Research Systems

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Running Oak Capital LLC increased its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 14.0% during the 3rd quarter. Running Oak Capital LLC now owns 41,335 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $11,842,000 after purchasing an additional 5,072 shares during the last quarter. Nuance Investments LLC purchased a new position in FactSet Research Systems during the third quarter worth $2,733,000. Financial Strategies Group Inc. bought a new position in FactSet Research Systems during the third quarter valued at $7,920,000. Investment House LLC bought a new position in FactSet Research Systems during the third quarter valued at $2,951,000. Finally, J. W. Coons Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 139.8% in the second quarter. J. W. Coons Advisors LLC now owns 3,465 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,550,000 after acquiring an additional 2,020 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.24% of the company’s stock.

FactSet Research Systems Stock Up 4.1%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a current ratio of 1.54. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $266.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $296.72. The stock has a market cap of $7.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.73.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 18th. The business services provider reported $4.51 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.36 by $0.15. FactSet Research Systems had a net margin of 25.40% and a return on equity of 30.49%. The company had revenue of $607.62 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $599.69 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $4.37 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter 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. Equities analysts forecast that FactSet Research Systems Inc. will post 17.21 EPS for the current year.

FactSet Research Systems Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 19th. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th will be issued a dividend of $1.10 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. FactSet Research Systems’s payout ratio is presently 27.99%.

FactSet Research Systems announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback 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 purchase up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

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.