FactSet Research Systems Inc.
Orin's own judgment of how firmly the evidence points one way — not the chance the price goes up.
FactSet screens cheap on relative valuation (20.7x PE vs. peer median 24.8x; 13.2x EV/EBITDA vs. 19.3x) and free cash flow remains a genuine strength at $707.5M in FY2026 (28.6% FCF margin), but the fundamental picture is deteriorating: operating margin compressed to 28.3% from 32.2% in FY2025 and diluted EPS fell 6.3% YoY to $14.57 despite 6.7% revenue growth.
With the stock at $303.21 as of 19 Oct—well above the analyst consensus target of $271.79—and management issuing weaker-than-expected FY2027 guidance, the risk/reward is balanced enough to warrant patience rather than chasing the rally.
What could go wrong
- Margin compression persists. Operating margin fell from 32.2% in FY2025 to 28.3% in FY2026 and gross margin declined from 52.7% to 50.6%; if this trend continues into FY2027, EPS erosion will accelerate.
- Stock overextended vs. fundamentals. At $303.21 the stock trades above the consensus target of $271.79 and carries a 'Reduce' sell-side rating with six sell ratings, while quarterly EPS declined through FY2026 from $4.06 in Q1 to $3.41 in Q4.
- Insider selling. Over the trailing 24 months insiders net sold 28,968 shares worth $12.4M; the CEO sold 8,065 shares at $276.42 on 22 Sep.
- Weak FY2027 guidance. Management issued weaker-than-expected fiscal 2027 guidance alongside the upbeat Q4 FY2026 report, limiting near-term upside catalysts.
What would change my mind
Where this comes from: peer comparison, 19 Oct · FY26 fundamentals · FY25 and FY26 fundamentals · technicals and news, 19 Oct. Orin's read on FDS; not advice.
How has the share price moved?
Up 6.6% over twelve months, from $290.33 on 27 Oct 2025 to $309.54 at the Tue 27 Oct 2026 close. Its highest close in that time was $335.45 on 22 Oct 2026; the last close is 7.7% below it.
- Green line: the closing price each trading day.
- Grey line: the average closing price over the last 50 trading days.
- Dashed amber line: the same over the last 200 trading days — a slower, smoother line.
- Bars along the bottom: shares traded each day — green when it closed higher than the day before, rose when lower (the most, 4.0M, on 24 Nov 2025).
- Flags: the company's filings, on the day they were made (a 10-Q is the quarterly report and a 10-K the annual report; an 8-K reports a major event).
On file
All FDS filingsLargest holders · 13F Q2 2026
Money flow| Filer | Position | Of fund |
|---|---|---|
| BAMCO | $966.5M | 1.5% |
| BlackRock | $657.7M | 0.0% |
| Vanguard Capital Management | $547.5M | 0.0% |
| State Street | $431.1M | 0.0% |
| Vanguard Portfolio Management | $409.8M | 0.0% |
| AQR Capital Management | $385.5M | 0.1% |
| Geode Capital Management | $317.3M | 0.0% |
| Morgan Stanley | $253.3M | 0.0% |
| Invesco | $219.6M | 0.0% |
| Bank of America | $176.1M | 0.0% |
80 of the 815 filers we track · quarter ended Q2 2026 · positions, not flows
Insiders, last 24 months: 126 Form 4 filings; open-market trades net −$12.4M. Of the 50 on hand, 1 was an open-market purchase and 4 sales — the rest are grants, option exercises and tax withholding.
Ask Orin about FDS
Orin answers questions about FDS from its filings, transcripts and numbers — with the source behind every claim. Your own desk starts with 3 free days, card required.
Start 3 free days →How is it priced, against its own past and its sector?
Priced at 21.2× its last 12 months of profit (Tue 27 Oct close) — lower than in all 5 of its last 5 fiscal years (middle 30.0×); the typical Financial Services company on the NYSE is at 17.6×.
| Measure | Now | Its usual | Sector |
|---|---|---|---|
| P/E | 21.2×below usual | 30.0× | 17.6× |
| P/S | 4.45×below usual | 7.30× | — |
| EV/EBITDA | 13.5×below usual | 19.8× | — |
| P/B | 5.5×below usual | 8.4× | — |
- "Its usual" is the middle of its own last 5 fiscal years.
P/E: the share price divided by one year of profit per share — roughly how many years of today's profit the price pays for. A company that loses money has no P/E.
P/S: the company's total market value divided by one year of revenue. Used when there is no profit to measure.
EV/EBITDA: the price of the whole company (its shares plus its debt, minus its cash) divided by one year of operating profit before interest, tax and write-downs.
P/B: the share price divided by the book value per share — what the company owns minus what it owes, as its accounts record it. When book value is tiny, P/B swings wildly and says little.
What do the analysts who cover it publish?
The analysts' average 12-month price target is $257 (from $215 to $301) — 17% below the Tue 27 Oct close price. That is their published opinion, not Orin's.
$257
$215 – $301 · −17% against the last close
- 2 buy or overweight
- 9 hold
- 5 underweight or sell
Price target: the share price an analyst publishes for about 12 months ahead. It is the opinion of the firm that wrote it; the average is across the firms that cover the company.
Overweight / underweight: analysts' rating words: overweight means the firm expects the stock to do better than the others it covers, underweight worse. Their words, not Orin's.
How is it priced next to the companies it is compared to?
Priced at 21.2× its last 12 months of profit; the middle P/E of the 5 companies it is compared to that made a profit is 23.9×.
| Company | Market value | P/E | EV/EBITDA | Gross margin | Net margin | ROE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FDSFactSet Research Systems Inc. | $11B | 21.2× | 13.5× | 50.6% | 21.5% | 26% |
| BRBroadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. | $20B | 18.3× | 11.6× | 31.8% | 15.0% | 40% |
| CMECME Group Inc. | $106B | 23.9× | 16.1× | 84.3% | 63.1% | 16% |
| ICEIntercontinental Exchange, Inc. | $87B | 21.9× | 15.9× | 79.0% | 32.3% | 14% |
| MCOMoody's Corporation | $82B | 28.8× | 22.8× | 73.1% | 35.3% | 86% |
| MSCIMSCI Inc. | $44B | 32.0× | 23.8× | 82.9% | 40.3% | n/m |
- MSCI: return on equity is not meaningful (n/m) — book value is below zero.
- CME: dividend yield marked one-off — most of the last 12 months' payouts were special or irregular, so the yield is not income that repeats.
- The list of companies is the data vendor's choice, so it can include a company a person would not have picked.
Market value: the share price times the number of shares — what the whole company is priced at.
P/E: the share price divided by one year of profit per share — roughly how many years of today's profit the price pays for. A company that loses money has no P/E.
EV/EBITDA: the price of the whole company (its shares plus its debt, minus its cash) divided by one year of operating profit before interest, tax and write-downs.
Gross margin: the share of each $1 of sales left after the direct cost of making what was sold.
Net margin: the share of each $1 of sales kept as profit after every cost. Below zero, the company lost money.
ROE: return on equity: one year of profit as a share of the shareholders' money in the business (its book value).
Is it priced high or low compared with its own past?
Priced at 21.2× its last 12 months of profit (Tue 27 Oct close). It has no full fiscal year on file since its history starts, so there is nothing of its own to compare with.
- Now21.2×
P/E: the share price divided by one year of profit per share — roughly how many years of today's profit the price pays for. A company that loses money has no P/E.
Fiscal year (FY): the company's own 12-month accounting year, which need not match the calendar year.
How has its sector been priced?
Financial Services companies on the NYSE were priced at a typical 17.6× their yearly profit (Tue 27 Oct close).
- Now17.6×
- Each year is the middle of that calendar year's daily sector P/E; "Now" is the Tue 27 Oct close figure, the same one in the table above.
Sector P/E: the middle P/E of the companies in the same sector on the same stock exchange, as the data vendor works it out each day.
What does a cash-flow model say a share is worth?
A standard cash-flow model puts it at $374 a share — 21% above the $309.31 price it was computed against (27 Oct).
| Model | Value a share | Against the price then |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | $374 | 21% above $309.31 |
| Levered | $379 | 23% above $309.31 |
Discounted cash flow: a model's estimate of what the company is worth today, from the cash it is forecast to make in future years. Small changes in the forecast move it a lot, and it says little about a company that loses money.
Standard / levered: two versions of the cash-flow model: the standard one counts the cash before the company pays its lenders, the levered one after.