FDS FactSet
Deeply embedded data terminal; switching costs protect durable 8% growth at a fair price
The business
FactSet sells subscription-based financial data, analytics, and workflow tools to investment professionals — buy-side PMs, sell-side analysts, wealth managers. Clients access integrated multi-source data via desktop terminals, Excel add-ins, and APIs on annual contracts; revenue is >90% recurring with ~7,000 client firms and ~183,000 individual users.
Quality gate · 92/100
Moat & management
| Moat | narrow moat |
| Source | switching costs |
| Trajectory | stable |
| Management | excellent |
Workflows, valuation models, compliance processes, and data mappings are deeply embedded in FactSet's platform — ripping it out means retraining staff, rebuilding models, and re-integrating data feeds, which almost never happens mid-cycle. Bloomberg's sell-side messaging network and terminal dominance cap FactSet's ceiling, and AI threatens to commoditize some analytics layers over the decade, preventing a 'wide' rating.
Conservative ~1.25x net debt/EBITDA, 32%+ operating margins sustained through cycles, disciplined bolt-on M&A (Portware, BISAM, Vermilion) rather than transformative empire-building, and only modest buybacks — they reinvest first and return capital second, which is correct given >28% ROE.
Owner-earnings inputs
| Owner earnings (TTM) | 587.79M |
| Owner-earnings yield | 7.5% |
| Free-cash-flow yield | 8.7% |
| Growth used (normalized) | 7.0% |
| Terminal growth | 3.0% |
| Discount rate (hurdle) | 7.6% |
Key risks
- AI commoditizes financial data analytics, eroding terminal value proposition over 5-10 years
- Asset manager consolidation shrinks seat count and compresses per-seat pricing power
- LSEG/Refinitiv completes its integration and re-emerges as a credible, well-resourced #2
Catalysts
- Proprietary data assets (CTS concordance, StreetAccount) anchor AI products competitors cannot replicate
- Wealth management and private markets verticals remain underpenetrated and are growing fast
Recent news
score · 8 articles
- FedEx Earnings Beat Expectations. The Stock Is Falling Anyway.
- KB Home Reports Lower Revenue as Difficult Housing Market Persists
- Korn Ferry Reports Higher Fiscal Fourth-Quarter Results
- Alimentation Couche-Tard Fiscal Q4 Adjusted Profit Jumps 51%, Tops Estimates
- Recurring Revenues & Strong Liquidity Aid FDS Amid High Rivalry
- Can FactSet (FDS) Sustain Its Dividend Advantage Without Shifting Its Quality-First Playbook?
- Top Midday Decliners
- Update: Accenture Shares Fall After Fiscal 2026 Revenue Guidance Cut
⚠ financial — owner earnings ≈ net income · financial — valued by residual income (ROE vs cost of equity on book equity)