FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) Plans Dividend Increase – $1.04 Per Share

FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) announced a quarterly dividend on Thursday, May 2nd, Wall Street Journal reports. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 31st will be given a dividend of 1.04 per share by the business services provider on Thursday, June 20th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 31st. This is an increase from FactSet Research Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.98.

FactSet Research Systems has increased its dividend payment by an average of 8.1% per year over the last three years and has raised its dividend every year for the last 25 years. FactSet Research Systems has a payout ratio of 22.3% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect FactSet Research Systems to earn $17.37 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $3.92 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 22.6%.

FactSet Research Systems Stock Performance

NYSE:FDS traded up $3.79 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $423.36. 217,286 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 240,133. The company has a quick ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. FactSet Research Systems has a 1 year low of $380.96 and a 1 year high of $488.64. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $448.37 and a 200-day simple moving average of $454.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.73.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 21st. The business services provider reported $4.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.83 by $0.39. FactSet Research Systems had a net margin of 22.72% and a return on equity of 34.36%. The business had revenue of $545.95 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $547.93 million. Analysts anticipate that FactSet Research Systems will post 15.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on FDS shares. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $447.00 to $458.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, March 25th. Barclays reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $460.00 target price (down previously from $480.00) on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Oppenheimer reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a report on Friday, March 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $377.00 to $419.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $430.00 price target on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have issued a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $442.70.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Gregory T. Moskoff sold 330 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $419.50, for a total value of $138,435.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 72 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,204. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other news, CEO Frederick Philip Snow sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $452.10, for a total value of $1,356,300.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 12,915 shares in the company, valued at $5,838,871.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Gregory T. Moskoff sold 330 shares of FactSet Research Systems stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $419.50, for a total value of $138,435.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 72 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $30,204. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 6,330 shares of company stock valued at $2,740,515. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.