Short Interest in FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) Rises By 11.7%

FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,290,000 shares, a growth of 11.7% from the August 15th total of 2,050,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 289,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 7.9 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on FDS. Jefferies Financial Group decreased 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. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of FactSet Research Systems to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 13th. Bank of America downgraded FactSet Research Systems from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $500.00 to $407.00 in a report on Thursday, May 30th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on FactSet Research Systems from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $464.00 target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $432.27.

FactSet Research Systems Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE:FDS opened at $448.38 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $17.06 billion, a PE ratio of 33.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $418.42 and a 200 day simple moving average of $428.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. FactSet Research Systems has a 12-month low of $391.84 and a 12-month 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 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.91 by $0.46. The company had revenue of $552.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $552.71 million. FactSet Research Systems had a net margin of 23.56% and a return on equity of 34.48%. The company’s revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.79 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that FactSet Research Systems will post 16.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

FactSet Research Systems Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be issued a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 30th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.93%. FactSet Research Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.37%.

Insider Activity at FactSet Research Systems

In other FactSet Research Systems news, CTO Katherine M. Stepp sold 1,057 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $428.42, for a total value of $452,839.94. Following the sale, the chief technology officer now directly owns 687 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $294,324.54. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, CEO Frederick Philip Snow sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $408.98, for a total value of $1,226,940.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 12,915 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,281,976.70. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CTO Katherine M. Stepp sold 1,057 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $428.42, for a total value of $452,839.94. Following the sale, the chief technology officer now directly owns 687 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $294,324.54. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 12,432 shares of company stock worth $5,166,986. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of FactSet Research Systems

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Millennium Management LLC grew its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 2,873.9% during the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 119,582 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $48,822,000 after buying an additional 115,561 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems during the 4th quarter worth approximately $47,977,000. PineStone Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 53.3% in the 2nd quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 272,973 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $111,447,000 after purchasing an additional 94,952 shares during the last quarter. Norden Group LLC boosted its position in FactSet Research Systems by 1,844.5% during the 1st quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 45,696 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $20,761,000 after purchasing an additional 43,346 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 21.5% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 235,387 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $96,113,000 after buying an additional 41,717 shares during the last quarter. 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.