FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) Short Interest Update

FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,410,000 shares, a decrease of 13.5% from the February 28th total of 1,630,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 306,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.6 days. Approximately 3.7% of the shares of the company are sold short.

FactSet Research Systems Price Performance

Shares of NYSE FDS traded down $10.47 during trading on Thursday, reaching $441.25. The company had a trading volume of 177,087 shares, compared to its average volume of 280,404. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. FactSet Research Systems has a twelve month low of $391.84 and a twelve month high of $499.87. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $453.44 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $465.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.78 billion, a PE ratio of 31.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.77.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 20th. The business services provider reported $4.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.17 by $0.11. FactSet Research Systems had a net margin of 24.16% and a return on equity of 33.92%. The firm had revenue of $570.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $570.65 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $4.22 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that FactSet Research Systems will post 17.21 earnings per share for the current 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 dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date 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 (DPR) is currently 29.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other FactSet Research Systems news, CAO Gregory T. Moskoff sold 363 shares of the business’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 approximately $19,084.12. The trade was a 89.19 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On FactSet Research Systems

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in FDS. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC acquired a new stake in FactSet Research Systems in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 31.1% during the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 118 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 28 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 acquiring an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC grew its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 5,200.0% in the third quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 159 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $79,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the period. Finally, Menard Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in FactSet Research Systems during the fourth quarter worth approximately $91,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.24% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on FDS. Wells Fargo & Company cut FactSet Research Systems from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $450.00 to $402.00 in a research report on Friday, March 21st. 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. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of 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 reduced their price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $498.00 to $466.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on FactSet Research Systems from $409.00 to $390.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 21st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and five have assigned a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, FactSet Research Systems presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus 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.