FactSet Research Systems Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:FDS)

FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Stock traders purchased 3,674 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 199% compared to the average volume of 1,227 call options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on FDS shares. UBS Group upgraded FactSet Research Systems from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $480.00 to $425.00 in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $452.00 to $324.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 19th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $464.00 to $372.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, September 19th. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and issued a $290.00 target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a report on Friday, November 14th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $390.00 to $300.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, September 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $347.90.

FactSet Research Systems Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:FDS traded up $3.71 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $296.71. 194,523 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 489,700. The company has a market cap of $11.10 billion, a PE ratio of 19.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a current ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $278.86 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $349.90. FactSet Research Systems has a 12-month low of $250.50 and a 12-month high of $496.90.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, September 17th. The business services provider reported $4.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.13 by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $596.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $593.32 million. FactSet Research Systems had a return on equity of 31.06% and a net margin of 25.72%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.74 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that FactSet Research Systems will post 17.21 EPS for the current year.

FactSet Research Systems Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 28th will be paid a dividend of $1.10 per share. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 28th. FactSet Research Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.30%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Goran Skoko acquired 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 6th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $252.93 per share, with a total value of $126,465.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the executive vice president owned 9,192 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,324,932.56. The trade was a 5.75% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Christopher Mcloughlin purchased 338 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 23rd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $296.19 per share, with a total value of $100,112.22. Following the purchase, the insider owned 3,446 shares in the company, valued at $1,020,670.74. This trade represents a 10.88% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have bought a total of 1,208 shares of company stock valued at $328,505 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On FactSet Research Systems

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of FDS. Truist Financial Corp lifted its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 22,313 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $9,980,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. Vest Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 8.8% during the second quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 125,526 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $56,145,000 after buying an additional 10,172 shares during the period. PineStone Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in FactSet Research Systems by 8.8% during the second quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 380,459 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $170,172,000 after acquiring an additional 30,881 shares during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue raised its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 14.1% in the 2nd quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 14,690 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $6,569,000 after acquiring an additional 1,810 shares during the last quarter. Finally, J. W. Coons Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 139.8% during the 2nd quarter. J. W. Coons Advisors LLC now owns 3,465 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,550,000 after purchasing an additional 2,020 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.24% 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.