Wendell David Associates Inc. Trims Position in FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS)

Wendell David Associates Inc. lowered its holdings in FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) by 2.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 29,977 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 710 shares during the period. FactSet Research Systems accounts for 1.4% of Wendell David Associates Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Wendell David Associates Inc.’s holdings in FactSet Research Systems were worth $14,397,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FDS. Millennium Management LLC grew its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 2,873.9% during the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 119,582 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $48,822,000 after buying an additional 115,561 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in FactSet Research Systems in the third quarter valued at $38,909,000. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in FactSet Research Systems by 21.0% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 340,494 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $164,653,000 after acquiring an additional 59,173 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 12.0% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 493,350 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $226,867,000 after acquiring an additional 52,741 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,932,376 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $888,603,000 after purchasing an additional 42,303 shares in the last quarter. 91.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on FDS. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $503.00 target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $469.00 to $493.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 20th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $485.00 to $525.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on FactSet Research Systems from $521.00 to $518.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on FactSet Research Systems from $373.00 to $409.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, FactSet Research Systems has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $453.46.

FactSet Research Systems Stock Performance

Shares of FDS opened at $464.54 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $17.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.30, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The business’s 50 day moving average is $478.75 and its two-hundred day moving average is $452.66. FactSet Research Systems Inc. has a 52-week low of $391.84 and a 52-week high of $499.87.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 19th. The business services provider reported $4.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.25 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $568.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $565.14 million. FactSet Research Systems had a net margin of 24.16% and a return on equity of 33.92%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $4.12 earnings per share. 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 19th. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th were issued a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 29th. FactSet Research Systems’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.82%.

Insider Buying and Selling at FactSet Research Systems

In other news, insider John Costigan sold 1,622 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $481.00, for a total value of $780,182.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 299 shares in the company, valued at approximately $143,819. The trade was a 84.44 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

FactSet Research Systems 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.