Insider Selling: FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) CTO Sells $452,839.94 in Stock

FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) CTO Katherine M. Stepp sold 1,057 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $428.42, for a total transaction of $452,839.94. Following the sale, the chief technology officer now owns 687 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $294,324.54. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

FactSet Research Systems Stock Performance

Shares of FDS opened at $415.75 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $423.26 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $447.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.28 and a quick ratio of 1.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.85 billion, a PE ratio of 31.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.74. FactSet Research Systems Inc. has a one year low of $385.27 and a one year high of $488.64.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last released its earnings results on Friday, June 21st. The business services provider reported $4.37 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.91 by $0.46. The company had revenue of $552.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $552.71 million. FactSet Research Systems had a return on equity of 34.48% and a net margin of 23.56%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.79 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that FactSet Research Systems Inc. will post 16.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

FactSet Research Systems Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 31st were given a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 31st. This is an increase from FactSet Research Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.98. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.00%. FactSet Research Systems’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.37%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of FDS. Morgan Stanley grew its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 100.1% in the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 1,396,225 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $610,515,000 after purchasing an additional 698,611 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems in the 4th quarter worth approximately $47,977,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems in the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,288,000. PineStone Asset Management Inc. increased its position in FactSet Research Systems by 117.0% during the 4th quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 163,521 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $78,008,000 after buying an additional 88,173 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 15.3% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 503,467 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $220,146,000 after buying an additional 66,986 shares during the last quarter. 91.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on FactSet Research Systems from $455.00 to $378.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, June 5th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on FactSet Research Systems from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $464.00 target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research note on Monday. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $447.00 to $458.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 25th. Finally, Bank of America lowered shares of FactSet Research Systems from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $500.00 to $407.00 in a report on Thursday, May 30th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, FactSet Research Systems currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $432.00.

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.