FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) Sets New 12-Month Low - Should You Sell?

FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS - Get Free Report)'s share price hit a new 52-week low on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $391.69 and last traded at $395.78, with a volume of 77989 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $398.85.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on FDS shares. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded FactSet Research Systems from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $450.00 to $402.00 in a report on Friday, March 21st. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $525.00 to $480.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $409.00 to $390.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 21st. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $469.00 to $493.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and set a $503.00 price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and five have assigned a hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $436.90.

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FactSet Research Systems Stock Performance

The company has a fifty day moving average price of $444.02 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $462.50. The firm has a market cap of $16.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.39.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 20th. The business services provider reported $4.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.17 by $0.11. FactSet Research Systems had a net margin of 24.16% and a return on equity of 33.92%. The company had revenue of $570.70 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $570.65 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.22 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that FactSet Research Systems Inc. will post 17.21 EPS for the current year.

FactSet Research Systems Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. FactSet Research Systems's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.59%.

Insider Activity at FactSet Research Systems

In other FactSet Research Systems news, CAO Gregory T. Moskoff sold 363 shares of FactSet Research Systems stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $433.73, for a total value of $157,443.99. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 44 shares in the company, valued at $19,084.12. The trade was a 89.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of FDS. Everence Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in FactSet Research Systems during the fourth quarter valued at about $413,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. increased its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 52.5% during the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 4,171 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $2,003,000 after acquiring an additional 1,436 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 21.0% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 340,494 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $164,653,000 after acquiring an additional 59,173 shares in the last quarter. Avanza Fonder AB acquired a new stake in FactSet Research Systems in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,481,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 12.0% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 493,350 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $226,867,000 after buying an additional 52,741 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 91.24% of the company's stock.

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.