6,867 Shares in FactSet Research Systems Inc. $FDS Purchased by Aurora Investment Counsel

Aurora Investment Counsel acquired a new position in shares of FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 6,867 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,993,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 676.7% during the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 169,102 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $49,072,000 after purchasing an additional 147,329 shares in the last quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in FactSet Research Systems during the 4th quarter worth about $255,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in FactSet Research Systems during the 4th quarter worth about $320,000. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 490.7% during the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 581,409 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $168,719,000 after purchasing an additional 482,980 shares in the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 497.1% during the 4th quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 137,860 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $40,006,000 after purchasing an additional 114,772 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.24% of the company’s stock.

FactSet Research Systems Stock Performance

NYSE:FDS opened at $241.74 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $230.82 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $243.29. FactSet Research Systems Inc. has a twelve month low of $185.00 and a twelve month high of $453.41. The stock has a market cap of $8.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.55, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The business services provider reported $4.46 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.37 by $0.09. FactSet Research Systems had a return on equity of 30.25% and a net margin of 24.48%.The firm had revenue of $611.02 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $604.78 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.28 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that FactSet Research Systems Inc. will post 17.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

FactSet Research Systems Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 29th will be given a dividend of $1.16 per share. This is a boost from FactSet Research Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 29th. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. FactSet Research Systems’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.84%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. UBS Group lowered their price target on FactSet Research Systems from $425.00 to $380.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on FactSet Research Systems from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on FactSet Research Systems from $253.00 to $217.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on FactSet Research Systems from $243.00 to $240.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a report on Friday, March 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and six have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, FactSet Research Systems currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $279.62.

FactSet Research Systems Profile

FactSet Research Systems Inc operates as a global provider of integrated financial data and analytics to the investment community. Founded in 1978 and headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut, the company offers a unified platform that aggregates content from thousands of sources, delivering real-time and historical market data, company fundamentals, estimates, fixed-income information and proprietary analytics to portfolio managers, research analysts, investment bankers and risk officers.

The company’s core products include the FactSet Workstation, an application offering customizable screening, charting, portfolio analysis and news; APIs and data feeds for seamless integration into proprietary systems; and cloud-based solutions for thematic research and quantitative strategies.