Eukles Asset Management Lowers Holdings in FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS)

Eukles Asset Management trimmed its position in FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) by 0.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,285 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 39 shares during the quarter. FactSet Research Systems accounts for 1.9% of Eukles Asset Management’s holdings, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Eukles Asset Management’s holdings in FactSet Research Systems were worth $3,952,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 1.2% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,298,111 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,866,025,000 after buying an additional 52,604 shares during the period. Bamco Inc. NY raised its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 2,751,596 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,203,163,000 after acquiring an additional 8,862 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,988,080 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $863,125,000 after acquiring an additional 32,550 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 100.1% in the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 1,396,225 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $610,515,000 after acquiring an additional 698,611 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 1,078,226 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $447,561,000 after acquiring an additional 8,564 shares in the last quarter. 91.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Frederick Philip Snow sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $476.02, for a total value of $1,428,060.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 12,915 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,147,798.30. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

FactSet Research Systems Stock Performance

Shares of FDS traded up $5.19 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $434.65. The company had a trading volume of 128,500 shares, compared to its average volume of 237,591. FactSet Research Systems Inc. has a 52-week low of $380.96 and a 52-week high of $488.64. The company has a quick ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.00, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.72. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $455.36 and a two-hundred day moving average of $455.79.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, March 21st. The business services provider reported $4.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.83 by $0.39. The business had revenue of $545.95 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $547.93 million. FactSet Research Systems had a return on equity of 34.36% and a net margin of 22.72%. On average, analysts expect that FactSet Research Systems Inc. will post 15.83 earnings per share for the current year.

FactSet Research Systems Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 29th were given a $0.98 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 28th. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.90%. FactSet Research Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.04%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on FactSet Research Systems from $377.00 to $419.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Barclays reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $460.00 target price (down from $480.00) on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $464.00 target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on FactSet Research Systems in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $430.00 target price on the stock. 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 report on Monday, March 25th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $442.70.

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.