Sciencast Management LP Purchases New Position in FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS)

Sciencast Management LP bought a new position in FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 5,470 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,627,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Raymond James Trust N.A. lifted its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 2.3% in the third quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 948 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $436,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the period. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,572 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $755,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 19.1% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 137 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $64,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 8.2% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 291 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $140,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the period. Finally, Avantax Advisory Services Inc. boosted its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 1,214 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $583,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.24% of the company's stock.

Remove Ads

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Gregory T. Moskoff sold 363 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 44 shares of the company's stock, valued at $19,084.12. This represents a 89.19 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

FactSet Research Systems Stock Performance

FactSet Research Systems stock traded up $1.50 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $440.90. 244,284 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 271,532. The firm's fifty day moving average is $454.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $464.84. The company has a market capitalization of $16.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.77. FactSet Research Systems Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $391.84 and a fifty-two week high of $499.87. 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 issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 20th. The business services provider reported $4.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.17 by $0.11. FactSet Research Systems had a return on equity of 33.92% and a net margin of 24.16%. 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 business posted $4.22 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that FactSet Research Systems Inc. will post 17.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

FactSet Research Systems Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 20th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were given a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.94%. FactSet Research Systems's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.59%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on FDS shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on FactSet Research Systems from $409.00 to $390.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 21st. UBS Group decreased their price objective on 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. Wells Fargo & Company lowered FactSet Research Systems from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and cut their target price for the company from $450.00 to $402.00 in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $469.00 to $493.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and issued a $503.00 price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and five have assigned a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, FactSet Research Systems currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $436.27.

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.