FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) Shares Sold by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. reduced its stake in FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS - Free Report) by 24.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 31,272 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 10,110 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned 0.08% of FactSet Research Systems worth $15,023,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Everence Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in FactSet Research Systems in the 4th quarter valued at about $413,000. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 0.8% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,001,924 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $460,467,000 after purchasing an additional 8,376 shares in the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. increased its stake in 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 worth $2,003,000 after buying an additional 1,436 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 21.0% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 340,494 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $164,653,000 after buying an additional 59,173 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avanza Fonder AB purchased a new position in FactSet Research Systems in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,481,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.24% of the company's stock.

Remove Ads

FactSet Research Systems Stock Down 0.5 %

FDS stock traded down $2.39 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $433.84. 33,957 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 308,509. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.10, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.82. FactSet Research Systems Inc. has a 52-week low of $391.69 and a 52-week high of $499.87. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $442.69 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $462.15.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 20th. The business services provider reported $4.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.17 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $570.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $570.65 million. FactSet Research Systems had a net margin of 24.16% and a return on equity of 33.92%. The company's revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $4.22 EPS. 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 company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.96%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. FactSet Research Systems's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.59%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group cut their price objective on FactSet Research Systems from $525.00 to $480.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 21st. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on FactSet Research Systems from $498.00 to $466.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 24th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $503.00 price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of FactSet Research Systems from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and cut their target price for the stock from $450.00 to $402.00 in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $409.00 to $390.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and five have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $436.90.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Gregory T. Moskoff sold 363 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $433.73, for a total transaction of $157,443.99. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 44 shares in the company, valued at $19,084.12. This trade represents a 89.19 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.10% 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.