UBS Group Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) Stock

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) had its price target boosted by UBS Group from $485.00 to $525.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a neutral rating on the business services provider’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also issued reports on FDS. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $471.00 to $521.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on FactSet Research Systems from $464.00 to $503.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. Redburn Atlantic cut FactSet Research Systems from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $420.00 to $380.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued an “inline” rating and a $470.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $435.00 to $503.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have given a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, FactSet Research Systems currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $450.00.

FactSet Research Systems Stock Performance

Shares of FDS traded down $11.82 on Friday, reaching $483.90. 375,391 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 263,203. FactSet Research Systems has a 12 month low of $391.84 and a 12 month high of $499.87. The firm has a market cap of $18.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.81, a P/E/G ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 1.25. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $461.60 and its 200-day moving average price is $433.57.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 19th. The business services provider reported $3.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.62 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $562.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $547.06 million. FactSet Research Systems had a return on equity of 34.77% and a net margin of 24.38%. The business’s revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.93 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that FactSet Research Systems will post 17.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

FactSet Research Systems Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 29th will be issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 29th. FactSet Research Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.93%.

Insider Activity at FactSet Research Systems

In other news, insider John Costigan sold 1,622 shares of FactSet Research Systems stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $481.00, for a total value of $780,182.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 299 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $143,819. The trade was a 84.44 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Christopher R. Ellis sold 13,952 shares of FactSet Research Systems stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $456.15, for a total value of $6,364,204.80. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 23,515 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,726,367.25. The trade was a 37.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 26,984 shares of company stock worth $12,230,877. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of FactSet Research Systems

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 2,873.9% in the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 119,582 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $48,822,000 after acquiring an additional 115,561 shares during the period. PineStone Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 53.3% in the second quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 272,973 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $111,447,000 after purchasing an additional 94,952 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in FactSet Research Systems in the 3rd quarter valued at $38,909,000. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,932,376 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $888,603,000 after buying an additional 42,303 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 21.5% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 235,387 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $96,113,000 after purchasing an additional 41,717 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.24% of the company’s stock.

About FactSet Research Systems

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.