Short Interest in FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) Drops By 22.4%

FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decline in short interest during the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,560,000 shares, a decline of 22.4% from the January 15th total of 2,010,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 299,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 5.2 days. Approximately 4.1% of the company's stock are sold short.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on FDS. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $521.00 to $518.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $503.00 price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $503.00 to $500.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $373.00 to $409.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $469.00 to $493.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have issued a hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $453.23.

FactSet Research Systems Stock Performance

NYSE FDS traded up $5.78 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $465.88. 218,340 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 302,008. The business's fifty day moving average price is $470.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $458.94. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $17.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.77. FactSet Research Systems has a 52 week low of $391.84 and a 52 week high of $499.87.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, December 19th. The business services provider reported $4.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.25 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $568.70 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $565.14 million. FactSet Research Systems had a net margin of 24.16% and a return on equity of 33.92%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $4.12 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that FactSet Research Systems will post 17.21 EPS for the current year.

FactSet Research Systems Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.89%. FactSet Research Systems's payout ratio is currently 29.82%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On FactSet Research Systems

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Raymond James Trust N.A. boosted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 21 shares during the period. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,572 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $755,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 19.1% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 137 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 8.2% in the fourth 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, Kolinsky Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Kolinsky Wealth Management LLC now owns 739 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $355,000 after buying an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. 91.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.