Stifel Nicolaus Increases FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) Price Target to $493.00

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) had its price target upped by research analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $469.00 to $493.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “hold” rating on the business services provider’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ target price points to a potential upside of 1.96% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other brokerages also recently commented on FDS. Redburn Atlantic downgraded shares of FactSet Research Systems from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $420.00 to $380.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on FactSet Research Systems from $471.00 to $521.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $503.00 price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research note on Friday. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on FactSet Research Systems in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued an “inline” rating and a $470.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on FactSet Research Systems from $373.00 to $409.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have assigned a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, FactSet Research Systems has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $453.69.

FactSet Research Systems Stock Down 1.3 %

FDS stock opened at $483.52 on Friday. FactSet Research Systems has a fifty-two week low of $391.84 and a fifty-two week high of $499.87. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $477.45 and its 200 day moving average price is $442.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.79, a PEG ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 0.76.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 19th. The business services provider reported $4.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.25 by $0.12. The company 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 24.38% and a return on equity of 34.77%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.12 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that FactSet Research Systems will post 17.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at FactSet Research Systems

In other FactSet Research Systems news, insider John Costigan sold 1,622 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $481.00, for a total value of $780,182.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 299 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $143,819. This trade represents a 84.44 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 23,515 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,726,367.25. This represents a 37.24 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 23,984 shares of company stock worth $10,981,107 over the last ninety days. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On FactSet Research Systems

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 48,791 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $22,437,000 after purchasing an additional 1,443 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 5.7% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 12,314 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $5,687,000 after buying an additional 669 shares during the period. Synovus Financial Corp boosted its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 92.8% in the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 1,336 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $614,000 after acquiring an additional 643 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC grew its position in FactSet Research Systems by 9.0% during the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 2,535 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,166,000 after acquiring an additional 209 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in FactSet Research Systems during the third quarter worth about $403,000. 91.24% of the stock is currently 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.