Champlain Investment Partners LLC Sells 21,495 Shares of FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS)

Champlain Investment Partners LLC lessened its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) by 6.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 332,207 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 21,495 shares during the period. Champlain Investment Partners LLC owned 0.87% of FactSet Research Systems worth $159,552,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FDS. Allworth Financial LP increased its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 19.1% in 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. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 19.2% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 205 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $99,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $102,000. Private Trust Co. NA grew its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 8.2% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 291 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $140,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in FactSet Research Systems by 61.8% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 369 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $170,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. 91.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

FactSet Research Systems Stock Down 1.9 %

Shares of FactSet Research Systems stock opened at $428.07 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $441.91 and its 200 day moving average is $461.92. FactSet Research Systems Inc. has a one year low of $391.69 and a one year high of $499.87. The firm has a market cap of $16.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.69, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.39.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last posted its quarterly 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. FactSet Research Systems had a net margin of 24.16% and a return on equity of 33.92%. The firm had revenue of $570.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $570.65 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.22 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that FactSet Research Systems Inc. will post 17.21 EPS for the current year.

FactSet Research Systems Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 20th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a $1.04 dividend. 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 0.97%. FactSet Research Systems’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.59%.

Insider Activity at FactSet Research Systems

In other news, CAO Gregory T. Moskoff sold 363 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $433.73, for a total value of $157,443.99. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 44 shares in the company, valued at $19,084.12. This trade represents a 89.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on FDS. UBS Group cut their price objective on FactSet Research Systems from $525.00 to $480.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 21st. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on FactSet Research Systems from $469.00 to $493.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated 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. Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of FactSet Research Systems from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $450.00 to $402.00 in a report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $409.00 to $390.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and five have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, FactSet Research Systems currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $436.90.

FactSet Research Systems 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.