FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) Hits New 52-Week Low on Analyst Downgrade

FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Tuesday after Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on the stock from $215.00 to $195.00. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an underweight rating on the stock. FactSet Research Systems traded as low as $189.16 and last traded at $188.9910, with a volume of 272979 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $205.79.

A number of other analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $282.00 to $253.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 19th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Huber Research raised FactSet Research Systems from a “strong sell” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and set a $305.00 target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and six have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $298.54.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Malcolm Frank sold 2,572 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $295.70, for a total transaction of $760,540.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 879 shares in the company, valued at $259,920.30. The trade was a 74.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Laurie Siegel sold 2,572 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $296.25, for a total value of $761,955.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 1,037 shares in the company, valued at approximately $307,211.25. The trade was a 71.27% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On FactSet Research Systems

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. First Horizon Corp bought a new stake in FactSet Research Systems during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Cromwell Holdings LLC bought a new stake in FactSet Research Systems during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. WPG Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 76.9% in the 4th quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 92 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Finally, Generali Investments Management Co LLC bought a new position in shares of FactSet Research Systems during the 2nd quarter worth $42,000. 91.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

FactSet Research Systems Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $268.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $297.42. The stock has a market cap of $7.04 billion, a PE ratio of 12.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.73.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, December 18th. The business services provider reported $4.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.36 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $607.62 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $599.69 million. FactSet Research Systems had a net margin of 25.40% and a return on equity of 30.49%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $4.37 EPS. FactSet Research Systems has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.900-17.600 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that FactSet Research Systems Inc. will post 17.21 earnings per share for the current year.

FactSet Research Systems Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 19th. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th will be issued a dividend of $1.10 per share. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 27th. FactSet Research Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.99%.

FactSet Research Systems declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Thursday, December 18th that allows the company to repurchase $600.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the business services provider to reacquire up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

FactSet Research Systems Company Profile

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.