FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) Shares Down 4% – Should You Sell?

FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) shares dropped 4% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $284.40 and last traded at $284.3940. Approximately 123,724 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 75% from the average daily volume of 490,823 shares. The stock had previously closed at $296.13.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on FDS shares. Morgan Stanley set a $307.00 target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and set a $290.00 price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Huber Research upgraded FactSet Research Systems to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Friday, September 19th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on FactSet Research Systems from $464.00 to $372.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 19th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a report on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $347.90.

FactSet Research Systems Trading Down 9.2%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 1.40. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $279.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $349.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.06 billion, a PE ratio of 17.38, a PEG ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.75.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 18th. The business services provider reported $4.51 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.36 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $607.62 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $599.69 million. FactSet Research Systems had a return on equity of 31.06% and a net margin of 25.72%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $4.37 EPS. FactSet Research Systems has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.900-17.600 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that FactSet Research Systems Inc. will post 17.21 earnings per share for the current year.

FactSet Research Systems Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 28th will be paid a $1.10 dividend. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 28th. FactSet Research Systems’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.30%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Christopher Mcloughlin bought 338 shares of FactSet Research Systems stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 23rd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $296.19 per share, with a total value of $100,112.22. Following the acquisition, the insider owned 3,446 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,020,670.74. This trade represents a 10.88% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Goran Skoko bought 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 6th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $252.93 per share, with a total value of $126,465.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 9,192 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,324,932.56. This trade represents a 5.75% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have bought 1,208 shares of company stock valued at $328,505. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On FactSet Research Systems

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 2.2% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,932,382 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,413,078,000 after buying an additional 107,184 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,961,231 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $561,873,000 after purchasing an additional 23,660 shares during the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P increased its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 1.6% in the second quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 1,508,052 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $674,522,000 after purchasing an additional 23,900 shares during the period. Ninety One UK Ltd raised its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 1.2% during the third quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 1,206,890 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $345,762,000 after purchasing an additional 14,256 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 2.4% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,162,256 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $518,683,000 after purchasing an additional 27,035 shares during the period. 91.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.