FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) Shares Sold by Prudential PLC

Prudential PLC cut its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) by 64.7% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 3,237 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 5,921 shares during the period. Prudential PLC’s holdings in FactSet Research Systems were worth $1,555,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in FDS. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP lifted its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 25.8% during the fourth quarter. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP now owns 15,111 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $7,258,000 after purchasing an additional 3,095 shares in the last quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC now owns 559 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $268,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors purchased a new position in FactSet Research Systems during the 4th quarter valued at about $258,000. Huntington National Bank grew its position in FactSet Research Systems by 152.2% in the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 734 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $353,000 after acquiring an additional 443 shares in the last quarter. Finally, OLD Mission Capital LLC purchased a new stake in FactSet Research Systems during the fourth quarter worth about $3,570,000. 91.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Gregory T. Moskoff sold 363 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $433.73, for a total transaction of $157,443.99. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 44 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,084.12. This trade represents a 89.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

FactSet Research Systems Stock Performance

Shares of FactSet Research Systems stock opened at $415.36 on Monday. 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 Inc. has a 52 week low of $391.84 and a 52 week high of $499.87. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $451.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $464.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.82.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, March 20th. The business services provider reported $4.28 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $570.65 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $4.22 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that FactSet Research Systems Inc. will post 17.21 EPS for the current fiscal 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 $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.00%. FactSet Research Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.59%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FDS has been the subject of a number of research reports. UBS Group dropped 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. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of FactSet Research Systems from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $450.00 to $402.00 in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on 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. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on FactSet Research Systems from $469.00 to $493.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on 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. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and five have assigned a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $436.27.

FactSet Research Systems Company 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.