FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) Hits New 12-Month Low – Here’s What Happened

Shares of FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) hit a new 52-week low on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $391.69 and last traded at $395.78, with a volume of 77989 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $398.85.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FDS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group dropped their price objective on FactSet Research Systems from $525.00 to $480.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 21st. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $498.00 to $466.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 24th. 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. Royal Bank of Canada reissued 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased 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 research note on Friday, March 21st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and five have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, FactSet Research Systems has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $436.27.

FactSet Research Systems Stock Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average of $447.72 and a 200 day moving average of $463.55. The company has a market capitalization of $16.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last posted 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 company had revenue of $570.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $570.65 million. FactSet Research Systems had a net margin of 24.16% and a return on equity of 33.92%. FactSet Research Systems’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $4.22 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that FactSet Research Systems Inc. will post 17.21 EPS for the current year.

FactSet Research Systems Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. FactSet Research Systems’s payout ratio is 29.59%.

Insider Activity

In other FactSet Research Systems news, CAO Gregory T. Moskoff sold 363 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $433.73, for a total value of $157,443.99. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 44 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,084.12. This represents a 89.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of FactSet Research Systems

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings 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 valued at $755,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 19.1% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 137 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $64,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA raised 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 valued at $140,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the period. Kolinsky Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Kolinsky Wealth Management LLC now owns 739 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $355,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares during the period. Finally, Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lifted its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 1,214 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $583,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.