CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co Sells 1,622 Shares of FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS)

CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co trimmed its holdings in FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) by 8.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,225 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 1,622 shares during the period. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co’s holdings in FactSet Research Systems were worth $8,753,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Everence Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in FactSet Research Systems during the fourth quarter worth $413,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. raised its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 52.5% in the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 4,171 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,003,000 after acquiring an additional 1,436 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 21.0% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 340,494 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $164,653,000 after purchasing an additional 59,173 shares during the last quarter. Avanza Fonder AB bought a new stake in FactSet Research Systems during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,481,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 12.0% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 493,350 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $226,867,000 after purchasing an additional 52,741 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.24% of the company’s stock.

FactSet Research Systems Price Performance

NYSE:FDS opened at $413.69 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a current ratio of 1.39. The company has a 50-day moving average of $439.89 and a 200-day moving average of $461.24. FactSet Research Systems Inc. has a 52 week low of $391.69 and a 52 week high of $499.87. The company has a market capitalization of $15.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.66, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.82.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 20th. The business services provider reported $4.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $570.65 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $4.22 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that FactSet Research Systems Inc. will post 17.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

FactSet Research Systems Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.01%. FactSet Research Systems’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.59%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on FDS. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $525.00 to $480.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 21st. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on FactSet Research Systems from $498.00 to $466.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price 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. Wells Fargo & Company lowered FactSet Research Systems from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $450.00 to $402.00 in a report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $503.00 target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and five have issued a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $436.90.

Insider Transactions at FactSet Research Systems

In related 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 transaction of $157,443.99. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 44 shares in the company, 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 available at the SEC website. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.