FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) Receives Average Recommendation of “Reduce” from Brokerages

Shares of FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) have received an average recommendation of “Reduce” from the thirteen ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and eight have assigned a hold recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $449.38.

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on FDS. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on FactSet Research Systems from $500.00 to $450.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on FactSet Research Systems from $373.00 to $409.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on FactSet Research Systems from $469.00 to $493.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $503.00 price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on FactSet Research Systems from $521.00 to $518.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 23rd.

FactSet Research Systems Price Performance

Shares of FDS stock opened at $438.70 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $16.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.77. FactSet Research Systems has a fifty-two week low of $391.84 and a fifty-two week high of $499.87. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $456.45 and its 200-day moving average price is $464.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a current ratio of 1.39.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 19th. The business services provider reported $4.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.25 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $568.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $565.14 million. FactSet Research Systems had a return on equity of 33.92% and a net margin of 24.16%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $4.12 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that FactSet Research Systems will post 17.21 earnings per share for the current year.

FactSet Research Systems Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. FactSet Research Systems’s payout ratio is 29.82%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 8.0% in the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 5,565 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,559,000 after purchasing an additional 414 shares during the last quarter. Claro Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of FactSet Research Systems in the third quarter worth $202,000. Quest Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 560.3% in the third quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 449 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $206,000 after purchasing an additional 381 shares during the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG purchased a new position in shares of FactSet Research Systems in the third quarter worth $736,000. Finally, Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of FactSet Research Systems in the third quarter worth about $119,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.24% of the company’s stock.

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.