Gateway Investment Advisers LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS)

Gateway Investment Advisers LLC lowered its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) by 0.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,334 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 27 shares during the period. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC’s holdings in FactSet Research Systems were worth $6,971,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 40,436.2% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 430,089 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $195,536,000 after buying an additional 429,028 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in FactSet Research Systems in the fourth quarter worth approximately $69,128,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in FactSet Research Systems during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $66,368,000. Vest Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of FactSet Research Systems during the first quarter worth approximately $52,445,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake 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 acquiring an additional 94,668 shares in the last quarter. 91.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

FactSet Research Systems Price Performance

Shares of FactSet Research Systems stock opened at $432.76 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $439.46 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $456.32. FactSet Research Systems Inc. has a 12-month low of $391.69 and a 12-month high of $499.87. The firm has a market cap of $16.42 billion, a PE ratio of 31.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.86. 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 posted its earnings results on Thursday, March 20th. The business services provider reported $4.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.17 by $0.11. FactSet Research Systems had a return on equity of 33.92% and a net margin of 24.16%. The company had revenue of $570.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $570.65 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $4.22 earnings per share. FactSet Research Systems’s quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that FactSet Research Systems Inc. will post 17.21 EPS for the current year.

FactSet Research Systems Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be given a $1.10 dividend. This is a positive change from FactSet Research Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. FactSet Research Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.29%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FDS has been the subject of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $409.00 to $390.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 21st. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $498.00 to $466.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $503.00 price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded FactSet Research Systems from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $450.00 to $402.00 in a report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, UBS Group dropped their target price on FactSet Research Systems from $525.00 to $480.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $448.00.

Insider Transactions at FactSet Research Systems

In related news, CAO Gregory T. Moskoff sold 363 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 44 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,084.12. This trade represents a 89.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

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.