Equities Analysts Offer Predictions for FDS Q1 Earnings

FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) – Equities research analysts at William Blair lowered their Q1 2026 earnings estimates for FactSet Research Systems in a report issued on Thursday, December 19th. William Blair analyst A. Nicholas now expects that the business services provider will post earnings per share of $4.59 for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $4.70. The consensus estimate for FactSet Research Systems’ current full-year earnings is $17.20 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for FactSet Research Systems’ Q2 2026 earnings at $4.56 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $4.88 EPS and Q4 2026 earnings at $4.65 EPS.

FDS has been the subject of a number of other reports. Redburn Atlantic lowered FactSet Research Systems from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $420.00 to $380.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $435.00 to $503.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $373.00 to $409.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $469.00 to $493.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Evercore ISI started coverage on FactSet Research Systems in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued an “inline” rating and a $470.00 price target on the stock. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have given a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $453.69.

FactSet Research Systems Price Performance

FDS opened at $483.52 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 1.25. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $477.45 and its 200-day simple moving average is $443.18. FactSet Research Systems has a one year low of $391.84 and a one year high of $499.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 0.76.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 19th. The business services provider reported $4.37 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.25 by $0.12. FactSet Research Systems had a net margin of 24.38% and a return on equity of 34.77%. The firm had revenue of $568.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $565.14 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $4.12 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis.

FactSet Research Systems Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 29th were paid a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 29th. FactSet Research Systems’s payout ratio is currently 29.82%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Frederick Philip Snow sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $455.09, for a total transaction of $1,365,270.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 12,987 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,910,253.83. This represents a 18.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider John Costigan sold 1,622 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $481.00, for a total transaction of $780,182.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 299 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $143,819. This trade represents a 84.44 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 23,984 shares of company stock worth $10,981,107 over the last quarter. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On FactSet Research Systems

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Millennium Management LLC raised its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 2,873.9% during the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 119,582 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $48,822,000 after acquiring an additional 115,561 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $38,909,000. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 2.2% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,932,376 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $888,603,000 after buying an additional 42,303 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 21.5% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 235,387 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $96,113,000 after buying an additional 41,717 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Boston Trust Walden Corp raised its position in FactSet Research Systems by 9.3% during the third quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 296,329 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $136,267,000 after acquiring an additional 25,294 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, 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.