FactSet Research Systems Fourth Quarter Earnings Sneak Peek

FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) will unveil its latest earnings on Tuesday, September 25, 2012. FactSet Research Systems is a provider of integrated global financial and economic information, including fundamental financial data on tens of thousands of companies worldwide.

FactSet Research Systems Inc. Earnings Preview Cheat Sheet

Wall St. Earnings Expectations: The average estimate of analysts is for profit of $1.07 per share, a rise of 21.6% from the company’s actual earnings for the same quarter a year ago. The average estimate is the same as three months ago. Between one and three months ago, the average estimate was unchanged. It also has not changed during the last month. For the year, analysts are projecting net income of $4.13 per share, a rise of 18.7% from last year.

Past Earnings Performance: The company’s quarterly results have come in above estimates for the last three quarters. Last quarter, the company booked profit of $1.08 per share versus a mean estimate of net income of $1.04 per share.

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Stock Price Performance: Between July 24, 2012 and September 19, 2012, the stock price had risen $12.02 (13.3%), from $90.56 to $102.58. It saw one of its worst periods between July 3, 2012 and July 12, 2012 when shares fell for seven straight days, dropping 5.6% (-$5.29) over that span.

A Look Back: In the third quarter, profit rose 10.8% to $48 million ($1.05 a share) from $43.3 million (92 cents a share) the year earlier, exceeding analyst expectations. Revenue rose 10.2% to $202.3 million from $183.6 million.

Wall St. Revenue Expectations: Analysts predict a rise of 7.9% in revenue from the year-earlier quarter to $207 million.

Balance Sheet Analysis: The company’s current ratio of assets to liabilities came in at 3.1 last quarter. Having a ratio above 2:1 is usually considered a good indicator of a company’s liquidity and ability to meet creditor demands. The company regressed in this liquidity measure from 3.22 in the second quarter to the last quarter driven in part by an increase in liabilities. Current liabilities increased 17.1% to $106.2 million while assets rose 12.6% to $328.7 million.

Analyst Ratings: There are mostly holds on the stock with seven of eight analysts surveyed giving that rating.

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(Company fundamentals by Xignite Financials. Earnings estimates provided by Zacks)

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