FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) Given Average Recommendation of “Reduce” by Analysts

Shares of FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) have received a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the seventeen research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have issued a hold recommendation, one has given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $291.6154.

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on FDS shares. Wolfe Research reiterated an “underperform” rating and issued a $290.00 price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and set a $305.00 price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Morgan Stanley set a $307.00 price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $372.00 to $295.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on FactSet Research Systems in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $195.00 target price on the stock.

FactSet Research Systems Stock Performance

NYSE FDS opened at $225.42 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a current ratio of 1.54. The company has a market capitalization of $8.36 billion, a PE ratio of 14.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $250.40 and a 200 day simple moving average of $284.68. FactSet Research Systems has a 52-week low of $185.00 and a 52-week high of $474.79.

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, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.36 by $0.15. FactSet Research Systems had a net margin of 25.40% and a return on equity of 30.49%. The business had revenue of $607.62 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $599.69 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $4.37 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. FactSet Research Systems has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.900-17.600 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that FactSet Research Systems will post 17.21 EPS for the current year.

FactSet Research Systems declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback 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 repurchase up to 5.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

FactSet Research Systems Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be given a $1.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 27th. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. FactSet Research Systems’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.99%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Laurie Siegel sold 2,572 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $296.25, for a total transaction of $761,955.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 1,037 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $307,211.25. This represents a 71.27% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Malcolm Frank sold 2,572 shares of FactSet Research Systems stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 879 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $259,920.30. This trade represents a 74.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of FactSet Research Systems

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 444,058.1% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 13,857,733 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $4,021,376,000 after buying an additional 13,854,613 shares during the last quarter. Bamco Inc. NY increased its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 58.8% during the fourth quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 2,888,845 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $838,314,000 after acquiring an additional 1,069,786 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in FactSet Research Systems by 4,547.4% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 705,062 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $204,602,000 after purchasing an additional 689,891 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 1,843.9% in the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 597,723 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $173,453,000 after purchasing an additional 566,975 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of FactSet Research Systems in the 4th quarter worth approximately $151,492,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.24% of the company’s stock.

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.