Mizuho Securities USA LLC Increases Stock Position in FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS)

Mizuho Securities USA LLC increased its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) by 45.9% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 3,600 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,133 shares during the quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC’s holdings in FactSet Research Systems were worth $1,729,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems in the third quarter valued at $35,000. Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 19.1% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 137 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $64,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC grew its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 5,200.0% in the 3rd quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 159 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $79,000 after buying an additional 156 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 19.2% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 205 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $99,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of FactSet Research Systems during the 4th quarter worth about $102,000. 91.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 shares were sold at an average price of $433.73, for a total transaction 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 approximately $19,084.12. This trade represents a 89.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

FactSet Research Systems Stock Performance

FactSet Research Systems stock opened at $440.10 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a current ratio of 1.39. FactSet Research Systems Inc. has a one year low of $391.84 and a one year high of $499.87. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $454.78 and its 200 day moving average price is $464.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.74 billion, a PE ratio of 31.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.77.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last announced 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. FactSet Research Systems had a net margin of 24.16% and a return on equity of 33.92%. The business had revenue of $570.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $570.65 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.22 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that FactSet Research Systems Inc. will post 17.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

FactSet Research Systems Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were paid 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 yield of 0.95%. FactSet Research Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.59%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $525.00 to $480.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $503.00 price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a report on Monday, March 10th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on FactSet Research Systems from $469.00 to $493.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 20th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on FactSet Research Systems from $498.00 to $466.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on 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. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and five have issued a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $436.27.

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.