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

Shares of FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the seventeen research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $285.6923.

Several analysts have commented on FDS shares. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on FactSet Research Systems from $311.00 to $305.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on FactSet Research Systems from $215.00 to $195.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Raymond James Financial reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research report on Monday, December 29th.

Insider Buying and Selling at FactSet Research Systems

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On FactSet Research Systems

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in 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 worth $4,021,376,000 after buying an additional 13,854,613 shares in the last quarter. Bamco Inc. NY grew its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 58.8% in the 4th quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 2,888,845 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $838,314,000 after buying an additional 1,069,786 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 4,547.4% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 705,062 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $204,602,000 after buying an additional 689,891 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can increased 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 worth $173,453,000 after acquiring an additional 566,975 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems in the 4th quarter worth $151,492,000. 91.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

FactSet Research Systems Price Performance

Shares of FDS opened at $198.64 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.37 billion, a PE ratio of 12.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.54. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $222.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $264.08. FactSet Research Systems has a 1-year low of $185.00 and a 1-year high of $474.79.

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

FactSet Research Systems Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th were given a $1.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 27th. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. FactSet Research Systems’s dividend payout ratio is 27.99%.

About FactSet Research Systems

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.