FactSet Research Systems Inc. $FDS Holdings Lifted by Azora Capital LP

Azora Capital LP grew its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) by 74.4% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 58,442 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 24,936 shares during the period. FactSet Research Systems accounts for about 1.2% of Azora Capital LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Azora Capital LP owned 0.15% of FactSet Research Systems worth $26,140,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in FDS. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in FactSet Research Systems by 57.0% in the 2nd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 829,174 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $370,873,000 after acquiring an additional 301,129 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake 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 worth $305,558,000 after purchasing an additional 192,448 shares in the last quarter. PFG Advisors grew its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 4,209.8% in the second quarter. PFG Advisors now owns 192,000 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $85,878,000 after purchasing an additional 187,545 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in FactSet Research Systems in the first quarter worth about $54,148,000. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in FactSet Research Systems in the second quarter worth about $32,862,000. 91.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at FactSet Research Systems

In other FactSet Research Systems news, EVP Helen L. Shan acquired 370 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 6th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $275.48 per share, for a total transaction of $101,927.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 9,284 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,557,556.32. The trade was a 4.15% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Christopher Mcloughlin bought 338 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 23rd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $296.19 per share, for a total transaction of $100,112.22. Following the acquisition, the insider directly owned 3,446 shares in the company, valued at $1,020,670.74. This trade represents a 10.88% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders acquired a total of 1,208 shares of company stock valued at $328,505 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on FDS shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $393.00 to $293.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 19th. 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 dropped their target price on FactSet Research Systems from $452.00 to $324.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 19th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on FactSet Research Systems from $464.00 to $372.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 19th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on FactSet Research Systems from $390.00 to $300.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and six have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, FactSet Research Systems has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $346.50.

FactSet Research Systems Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:FDS opened at $287.51 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $10.76 billion, a PE ratio of 18.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 1.40. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $277.77 and a 200-day moving average of $355.90. FactSet Research Systems Inc. has a one year low of $250.50 and a one year high of $496.90.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, September 17th. The business services provider reported $4.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.13 by ($0.08). FactSet Research Systems had a return on equity of 31.06% and a net margin of 25.72%.The company had revenue of $596.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $593.32 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.74 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that FactSet Research Systems Inc. will post 17.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

FactSet Research Systems Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 28th will be issued a $1.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 28th. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. FactSet Research Systems’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.30%.

FactSet Research Systems 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.