8,189 Shares in FactSet Research Systems Inc. $FDS Acquired by Element Squared LLC

Element Squared LLC purchased a new position in shares of FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm purchased 8,189 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,376,000. FactSet Research Systems comprises approximately 1.3% of Element Squared LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of FDS. Perigon Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems during the 4th quarter worth $515,000. Tema Etfs LLC acquired a new position in shares of FactSet Research Systems during the fourth quarter worth $180,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 20.4% in the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 13,447 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,902,000 after buying an additional 2,283 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 7.6% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 5,112 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,456,000 after buying an additional 359 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alhambra Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 7.1% during the 4th quarter. Alhambra Investment Management LLC now owns 1,259 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $365,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. 91.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

FactSet Research Systems Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of FDS stock opened at $227.26 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $8.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. The business’s 50 day moving average is $215.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $260.58. FactSet Research Systems Inc. has a twelve month low of $185.00 and a twelve month high of $474.79.

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

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

FactSet Research Systems Dividend Announcement

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. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 27th. FactSet Research Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.30%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Malcolm Frank sold 2,572 shares of the firm’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 sale, the director owned 879 shares in the company, valued at $259,920.30. This trade represents a 74.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Laurie Siegel sold 2,572 shares of FactSet Research Systems stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $296.25, for a total value of $761,955.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 1,037 shares in the company, valued at $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 insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on FDS. Evercore upped their price objective on FactSet Research Systems from $320.00 to $321.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Raymond James Financial restated a “market perform” rating on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Morgan Stanley set a $307.00 price target on FactSet Research Systems and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $372.00 to $295.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $320.00 to $243.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. One equities research 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 given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $279.85.

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.