FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) Shares Gap Down – Here’s Why

Shares of FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) gapped down prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $473.05, but opened at $459.15. FactSet Research Systems shares last traded at $473.21, with a volume of 30,972 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FDS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on FactSet Research Systems from $469.00 to $493.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. Redburn Atlantic cut shares of FactSet Research Systems from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $420.00 to $380.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $503.00 target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research report on Friday. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued an “inline” rating and a $470.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on FactSet Research Systems from $435.00 to $503.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have issued a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $453.69.

FactSet Research Systems Trading Down 1.3 %

The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $476.92 and its 200-day moving average is $442.24. The firm has a market cap of $18.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.79, a P/E/G ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 0.76.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, December 19th. The business services provider reported $4.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.25 by $0.12. FactSet Research Systems had a return on equity of 34.77% and a net margin of 24.38%. The company had revenue of $568.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $565.14 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.12 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that FactSet Research Systems Inc. will post 17.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

FactSet Research Systems Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 29th were issued a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 29th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.86%. FactSet Research Systems’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.93%.

Insider Buying and Selling at FactSet Research Systems

In other FactSet Research Systems news, CEO Frederick Philip Snow sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $455.09, for a total value of $1,365,270.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 12,987 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,910,253.83. This trade represents a 18.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Christopher R. Ellis sold 13,952 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $456.15, for a total transaction of $6,364,204.80. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 23,515 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,726,367.25. This trade represents a 37.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 23,984 shares of company stock worth $10,981,107. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 69.5% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 139 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 5.5% in the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,169 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $477,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Institute for Wealth Management LLC. boosted its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 14.8% during the 2nd quarter. Institute for Wealth Management LLC. now owns 1,820 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $743,000 after acquiring an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. AMG National Trust Bank grew its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 100.0% during the second quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 1,150 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $470,000 after purchasing an additional 575 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc. raised its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 15.9% in the second quarter. Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc. now owns 1,770 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $723,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. 91.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About FactSet Research Systems

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.