FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) Shares Sold by D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc.

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. lessened its holdings in FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) by 61.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,590 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 7,469 shares during the period. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc.’s holdings in FactSet Research Systems were worth $2,204,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of FDS. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems in the fourth quarter valued at about $69,128,000. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 9.4% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,096,592 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $527,411,000 after purchasing an additional 94,668 shares in the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 4,104.5% in the fourth quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 76,438 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $36,712,000 after purchasing an additional 74,620 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 17.2% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 456,149 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $219,079,000 after purchasing an additional 66,861 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super purchased a new stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,975,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.24% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at FactSet Research Systems

In other news, CAO Gregory T. Moskoff sold 363 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 44 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,084.12. This represents a 89.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of FactSet Research Systems from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $450.00 to $402.00 in a report on Friday, March 21st. UBS Group reduced 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 research note on Friday, March 21st. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $498.00 to $466.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Morgan Stanley reduced 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 research note on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $503.00 price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and five have given a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $436.90.

FactSet Research Systems Stock Performance

NYSE:FDS opened at $470.34 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The company has a market cap of $17.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.72, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.88. FactSet Research Systems Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $391.69 and a fifty-two week high of $499.87. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $436.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $458.71.

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

FactSet Research Systems Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be given a $1.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.94%. This is a positive change from FactSet Research Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. FactSet Research Systems’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.29%.

FactSet Research Systems Company Profile

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.