Raymond James & Associates Boosts Stock Position in FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS)

Raymond James & Associates lifted its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) by 2.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 113,178 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,642 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates owned 0.30% of FactSet Research Systems worth $51,427,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 69.4% during the fourth quarter. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 83 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 820.0% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 92 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Smithfield Trust Co raised its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 51.6% in the fourth quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 94 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC bought a new position in FactSet Research Systems in the fourth quarter worth about $49,000. 91.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FDS has been the subject of a number of research reports. Oppenheimer reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $430.00 price target for the company. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $447.00 to $458.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 25th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $464.00 price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $377.00 to $419.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, FactSet Research Systems has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $442.70.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Frederick Philip Snow sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $452.10, for a total value of $1,356,300.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 12,915 shares in the company, valued at $5,838,871.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, CEO Frederick Philip Snow sold 3,000 shares of FactSet Research Systems stock in a transaction on Monday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $452.10, for a total transaction of $1,356,300.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 12,915 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,838,871.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Gregory T. Moskoff sold 330 shares of FactSet Research Systems stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $419.50, for a total transaction of $138,435.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 72 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,204. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 6,330 shares of company stock worth $2,740,515. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

FactSet Research Systems Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE:FDS traded up $4.89 during trading on Friday, reaching $428.25. 197,396 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 254,506. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $446.95 and a two-hundred day moving average of $454.00. FactSet Research Systems Inc. has a 52-week low of $380.96 and a 52-week high of $488.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a current ratio of 1.79. The stock has a market cap of $16.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.73.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 21st. The business services provider reported $4.22 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.83 by $0.39. FactSet Research Systems had a net margin of 22.72% and a return on equity of 34.36%. The firm had revenue of $545.95 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $547.93 million. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that FactSet Research Systems Inc. will post 15.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

FactSet Research Systems Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 20th. Investors of record on Friday, May 31st will be issued a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 31st. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.97%. This is a boost from FactSet Research Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.98. FactSet Research Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.04%.

FactSet Research Systems 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.