Stock Traders Purchase High Volume of FactSet Research Systems Call Options (NYSE:FDS)

FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Stock investors purchased 3,674 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 199% compared to the typical daily volume of 1,227 call options.

FactSet Research Systems Price Performance

Shares of NYSE FDS opened at $295.94 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $279.15 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $349.52. FactSet Research Systems has a twelve month low of $250.50 and a twelve month high of $496.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, September 17th. The business services provider reported $4.05 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.13 by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $596.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $593.32 million. FactSet Research Systems had a return on equity of 31.06% and a net margin of 25.72%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.74 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that FactSet Research Systems will post 17.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

FactSet Research Systems Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Goran Skoko purchased 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 6th. The stock was bought at an average price of $252.93 per share, for a total transaction of $126,465.00. Following the purchase, the executive vice president owned 9,192 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,324,932.56. The trade was a 5.75% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Helen L. Shan acquired 370 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 6th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $275.48 per share, for a total transaction of $101,927.60. Following the completion of the purchase, the executive vice president directly owned 9,284 shares in the company, valued at $2,557,556.32. This trade represents a 4.15% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have bought 1,208 shares of company stock valued at $328,505 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of FactSet Research Systems

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in FDS. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. grew its position in FactSet Research Systems by 4,300.0% in the second quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 88 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Corp purchased a new stake in FactSet Research Systems during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. WPG Advisers LLC bought a new stake in FactSet Research Systems during the first quarter worth about $41,000. Generali Investments Management Co LLC purchased a new position in shares of FactSet Research Systems in the 2nd quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, Winnow Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of FactSet Research Systems in the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.24% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on FDS. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $464.00 to $372.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 19th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on FactSet Research Systems from $452.00 to $324.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 19th. Wolfe Research reissued an “underperform” rating and set a $290.00 price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a report on Friday, November 14th. Zacks Research raised FactSet Research Systems from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn upgraded FactSet Research Systems from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $415.00 to $370.00 in a research report on Friday, September 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $347.90.

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.