Short Interest in FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) Drops By 13.5%

FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,410,000 shares, a decrease of 13.5% from the February 28th total of 1,630,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 306,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.6 days. Currently, 3.7% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Insider Activity

In other FactSet Research Systems news, CAO Gregory T. Moskoff sold 363 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $433.73, for a total transaction of $157,443.99. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 44 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,084.12. This represents a 89.19 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC acquired a new stake in FactSet Research Systems in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 31.1% in the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 118 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. 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 purchasing an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC boosted its position in 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 buying an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Menard Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems in the fourth quarter worth $91,000. 91.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

FactSet Research Systems Trading Down 1.2 %

FDS stock traded down $5.27 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $451.74. The company had a trading volume of 154,236 shares, compared to its average volume of 295,114. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.38, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. FactSet Research Systems has a 52-week low of $391.84 and a 52-week high of $499.87. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $453.70 and a 200-day simple moving average of $465.25.

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

FactSet Research Systems Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.92%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. FactSet Research Systems’s payout ratio is presently 29.59%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on FDS shares. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded FactSet Research Systems from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $450.00 to $402.00 in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective 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. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $503.00 target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research report on Monday, March 10th. UBS Group dropped their price target 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. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on FactSet Research Systems from $498.00 to $466.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and five have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.