FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) Raises Dividend to $1.04 Per Share

FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) announced a quarterly dividend on Thursday, May 2nd, Wall Street Journal reports. Investors of record on Friday, May 31st will be paid a dividend of 1.04 per share by the business services provider on Thursday, June 20th. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 31st. This is an increase from FactSet Research Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.98.

FactSet Research Systems has increased its dividend payment by an average of 8.1% annually over the last three years and has raised its dividend every year for the last 25 years. FactSet Research Systems has a dividend payout ratio of 22.3% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect FactSet Research Systems to earn $17.37 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $3.92 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 22.6%.

FactSet Research Systems Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE FDS opened at $428.24 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $16.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.91, a PEG ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a current ratio of 1.79. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $447.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $454.14. FactSet Research Systems has a 52 week low of $380.96 and a 52 week high of $488.64.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 21st. The business services provider reported $4.22 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.83 by $0.39. FactSet Research Systems had a return on equity of 34.36% and a net margin of 22.72%. The company had revenue of $545.95 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $547.93 million. On average, research analysts predict that FactSet Research Systems will post 15.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. Oppenheimer reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Barclays reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $460.00 price target (down previously from $480.00) on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $464.00 price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Wolfe Research began coverage on FactSet Research Systems in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $430.00 price objective for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on 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. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $442.70.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Frederick Philip Snow sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $415.26, for a total value of $1,245,780.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 12,915 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,363,082.90. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other FactSet Research Systems news, CEO Frederick Philip Snow sold 3,000 shares of FactSet Research Systems stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $415.26, for a total transaction of $1,245,780.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 12,915 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,363,082.90. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Gregory T. Moskoff sold 330 shares of FactSet Research Systems stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $419.50, for a total value of $138,435.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 72 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $30,204. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 6,330 shares of company stock valued at $2,740,515 over the last ninety days. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.