Stephens Inc. AR Lowers Position in FactSet Research Systems Inc. $FDS

Stephens Inc. AR cut its holdings in FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) by 75.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,568 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 4,723 shares during the quarter. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in FactSet Research Systems were worth $455,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FDS. Cromwell Holdings LLC purchased a new stake in FactSet Research Systems in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. WPG Advisers LLC lifted its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 76.9% in the fourth quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 92 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Winnow Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in FactSet Research Systems in the third quarter worth about $28,000. Field & Main Bank purchased a new stake in FactSet Research Systems in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, BOKF NA lifted its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 5,100.0% in the third quarter. BOKF NA now owns 104 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the period. 91.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

FactSet Research Systems Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:FDS opened at $225.03 on Friday. FactSet Research Systems Inc. has a twelve month low of $185.00 and a twelve month high of $469.43. The company’s 50 day moving average is $218.24 and its 200 day moving average is $245.73. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. The company has a market cap of $8.20 billion, a PE ratio of 14.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.69.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The business services provider reported $4.46 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.37 by $0.09. FactSet Research Systems had a net margin of 24.48% and a return on equity of 30.25%. The company had revenue of $611.02 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $604.78 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.28 EPS. FactSet Research Systems’s quarterly revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that FactSet Research Systems Inc. will post 17.65 EPS for the current year.

FactSet Research Systems Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Investors of record on Friday, May 29th will be issued a $1.16 dividend. 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 yield of 2.1%. FactSet Research Systems’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.30%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $320.00 to $243.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $300.00 to $210.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $253.00 to $217.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $425.00 to $380.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research report on Friday, March 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and six have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $279.85.

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.