FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) Downgraded by Wells Fargo & Company to Underweight

Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) from an equal weight rating to an underweight rating in a research report report published on Friday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Wells Fargo & Company currently has $402.00 target price on the business services provider’s stock, down from their previous target price of $450.00.

Several other brokerages have also commented on FDS. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $503.00 price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research note on Monday, March 10th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $521.00 to $518.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $469.00 to $493.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $373.00 to $409.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $440.77.

FactSet Research Systems Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:FDS opened at $433.01 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $455.49 and its 200 day moving average price is $464.19. The stock has a market cap of $16.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.77. FactSet Research Systems has a fifty-two week low of $391.84 and a fifty-two week high of $499.87. 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 (NYSE:FDS) last issued 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 firm had revenue of $570.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $570.65 million. FactSet Research Systems had a net margin of 24.16% and a return on equity of 33.92%. The firm’s revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.22 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict 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 announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.96%. FactSet Research Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.82%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On FactSet Research Systems

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of FDS. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems during the fourth quarter worth $69,128,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems during the fourth quarter worth $66,368,000. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 9.4% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,096,592 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $527,411,000 after purchasing an additional 94,668 shares during the period. Meridiem Capital Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems during the fourth quarter worth $41,241,000. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems during the fourth quarter worth $39,284,000. 91.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.