Brokerages Set FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) Target Price at $436.90

FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” from the nine research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and five have assigned a hold recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $436.90.

FDS has been the topic of several analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $498.00 to $466.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 24th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $409.00 to $390.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 21st. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $525.00 to $480.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of FactSet Research Systems from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $450.00 to $402.00 in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $503.00 target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research report on Monday, March 10th.

FactSet Research Systems Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of FDS opened at $454.21 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.24 billion, a PE ratio of 32.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.88. FactSet Research Systems has a 1 year low of $391.69 and a 1 year high of $499.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a current ratio of 1.39. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $432.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $458.35.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 20th. The business services provider reported $4.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.17 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $570.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $570.65 million. FactSet Research Systems had a net margin of 24.16% and a return on equity of 33.92%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.22 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that FactSet Research Systems will post 17.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

FactSet Research Systems Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th will be given a $1.10 dividend. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.97%. This is a positive change from FactSet Research Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. FactSet Research Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.29%.

Insider Activity at FactSet Research Systems

In related news, CAO Gregory T. Moskoff sold 363 shares of FactSet Research Systems stock in a transaction on Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $433.73, for a total value of $157,443.99. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 44 shares in the company, valued at $19,084.12. This trade represents a 89.19% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On FactSet Research Systems

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 40,436.2% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 430,089 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $195,536,000 after purchasing an additional 429,028 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems during the 4th quarter worth $69,128,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems during the 4th quarter worth $66,368,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 3.0% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,795,354 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,180,160,000 after purchasing an additional 137,874 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vest Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems during the 1st quarter worth $52,445,000. 91.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.