Kennedy Capital Management LLC Decreases Stake in FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS)

Kennedy Capital Management LLC decreased its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) by 2.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 24,111 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 603 shares during the quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC’s holdings in FactSet Research Systems were worth $11,580,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of FDS. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 19.1% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 137 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $64,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 5,200.0% in the third quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 159 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $79,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 19.2% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 205 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $99,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in FactSet Research Systems during the fourth quarter worth approximately $102,000. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA boosted its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 8.2% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 291 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $140,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. 91.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

FactSet Research Systems Trading Down 2.5 %

Shares of NYSE FDS opened at $416.16 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.79 billion, a PE ratio of 29.83, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.82. FactSet Research Systems Inc. has a twelve month low of $391.69 and a twelve month high of $499.87. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $444.84 and a 200-day simple moving average of $462.68.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, March 20th. The business services provider reported $4.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.17 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $570.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $570.65 million. FactSet Research Systems had a return on equity of 33.92% and a net margin of 24.16%. FactSet Research Systems’s revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $4.22 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that FactSet Research Systems Inc. will post 17.21 earnings per share for the current year.

FactSet Research Systems Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.00%. FactSet Research Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling at FactSet Research Systems

In other news, CAO Gregory T. Moskoff sold 363 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $433.73, for a total value of $157,443.99. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 44 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,084.12. This trade represents a 89.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on FDS shares. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $503.00 target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $469.00 to $493.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $409.00 to $390.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of FactSet Research Systems from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $450.00 to $402.00 in a report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price objective on FactSet Research Systems from $525.00 to $480.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and five have given a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $436.27.

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.