Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Sells 79,664 Shares of FactSet Research Systems Inc. $FDS

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. decreased its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) by 74.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 27,455 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 79,664 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.’s holdings in FactSet Research Systems were worth $7,967,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Two Sigma Investments LP increased its position in FactSet Research Systems by 1,356.3% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 279,768 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $80,151,000 after buying an additional 260,557 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 39.2% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 683,146 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $305,558,000 after acquiring an additional 192,448 shares during the period. Barclays PLC boosted its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 159.3% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 272,535 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $78,079,000 after acquiring an additional 167,424 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 1,221.1% in the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 160,446 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $45,966,000 after acquiring an additional 148,301 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in FactSet Research Systems by 190.0% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 206,711 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $59,221,000 after acquiring an additional 135,431 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.24% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at FactSet Research Systems

In related news, Director Malcolm Frank sold 2,572 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $295.70, for a total transaction of $760,540.40. Following the transaction, the director owned 879 shares in the company, valued at $259,920.30. This represents a 74.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Laurie Siegel sold 2,572 shares of the 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 in the company, valued at approximately $307,211.25. This represents a 71.27% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

FactSet Research Systems Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of FDS opened at $198.64 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $7.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.64, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.54. FactSet Research Systems Inc. has a one year low of $185.00 and a one year high of $474.79. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $222.01 and its 200-day simple moving average is $264.77.

FactSet Research Systems announced that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Thursday, December 18th that authorizes the company to buyback $600.00 million in outstanding 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 usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

FactSet Research Systems Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of FactSet Research Systems from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $311.00 to $305.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Evercore boosted their price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $320.00 to $321.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research report on Monday, December 29th. 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 MarketBeat.com, FactSet Research Systems currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $285.69.

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.