FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) Reaches New 12-Month Low – Time to Sell?

FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) shares reached a new 52-week low on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $201.50 and last traded at $203.07, with a volume of 1276146 shares. The stock had previously closed at $207.32.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on FDS shares. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $311.00 to $305.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Morgan Stanley set a $307.00 price target on FactSet Research Systems and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Evercore increased their target price on FactSet Research Systems from $320.00 to $321.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $320.00 target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a report on Friday, December 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, FactSet Research Systems presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $308.83.

FactSet Research Systems Trading Down 2.0%

The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $278.32 and a 200-day simple moving average of $306.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.92, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.54.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 18th. The business services provider reported $4.51 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.36 by $0.15. FactSet Research Systems had a return on equity of 30.49% and a net margin of 25.40%.The business had revenue of $607.62 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $599.69 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $4.37 EPS. FactSet Research Systems’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. FactSet Research Systems has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.900-17.600 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that FactSet Research Systems Inc. will post 17.21 earnings per share for the current year.

FactSet Research Systems Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be given a dividend of $1.10 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 27th. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. FactSet Research Systems’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.99%.

FactSet Research Systems declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Thursday, December 18th that authorizes the company to repurchase $600.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the business services provider to purchase up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Laurie Siegel sold 2,572 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $296.25, for a total transaction of $761,955.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 1,037 shares in the company, valued at approximately $307,211.25. This trade represents a 71.27% 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. Also, Director Malcolm Frank sold 2,572 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $295.70, for a total value of $760,540.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 879 shares in the company, valued at $259,920.30. The trade was a 74.53% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of FactSet Research Systems

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in FDS. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 5.6% in the 1st quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,727 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $785,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 27.6% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 972 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $442,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 188.2% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 98 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc raised its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 165.8% during the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 420 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $189,000 after acquiring an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 20.1% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 245 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $110,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. 91.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About FactSet Research Systems

FactSet Research Systems Inc operates as a global provider of integrated financial data and analytics to the investment community. Founded in 1978 and headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut, the company offers a unified platform that aggregates content from thousands of sources, delivering real-time and historical market data, company fundamentals, estimates, fixed-income information and proprietary analytics to portfolio managers, research analysts, investment bankers and risk officers.

The company’s core products include the FactSet Workstation, an application offering customizable screening, charting, portfolio analysis and news; APIs and data feeds for seamless integration into proprietary systems; and cloud-based solutions for thematic research and quantitative strategies.