What is Zacks Research's Forecast for FDS FY2026 Earnings?

Key Points

• Analysts at Zacks Research have reduced their FY2026 earnings estimate for FactSet Research Systems from $18.43 to $17.22, reflecting a bearish outlook on the stock with a "Strong Sell" rating.
• FactSet's recent earnings report showed EPS of $4.05, which fell short of the $4.13 consensus estimate, even as revenue grew by 6.2% year-over-year to $596.9 million.
• Multiple brokerages have adjusted their price targets for FactSet, with **Rothschild & Co** reducing its target from $415 to $370 and **Morgan Stanley** dropping theirs from $393 to $293, amid increasing concerns about stock performance.

FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS - Free Report) - Research analysts at Zacks Research cut their FY2026 earnings estimates for FactSet Research Systems in a note issued to investors on Thursday, October 9th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the business services provider will post earnings per share of $17.22 for the year, down from their previous estimate of $18.43. Zacks Research has a "Strong Sell" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for FactSet Research Systems' current full-year earnings is $17.21 per share.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, September 18th. The business services provider reported $4.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.13 by ($0.08). The company had revenue of $596.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $593.32 million. FactSet Research Systems had a net margin of 25.72% and a return on equity of 31.06%. The business's revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.74 earnings per share. FactSet Research Systems has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.900-17.600 EPS.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on FDS. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised shares of FactSet Research Systems from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $415.00 to $370.00 in a research note on Friday, September 12th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $393.00 to $293.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 19th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $390.00 to $300.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 19th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $355.00 to $296.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 19th. Finally, Raymond James Financial raised shares of FactSet Research Systems from an "underperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $356.78.

FactSet Research Systems Stock Performance

FDS opened at $282.99 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.20, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a fifty day moving average of $343.56 and a 200 day moving average of $403.72. FactSet Research Systems has a fifty-two week low of $272.50 and a fifty-two week high of $499.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 1.47 and a current ratio of 1.40.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On FactSet Research Systems

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FDS. SouthState Corp lifted its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 1,400.0% during the 1st quarter. SouthState Corp now owns 60 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 4,200.0% during the 1st quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 86 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. lifted its holdings in FactSet Research Systems by 4,300.0% during the 2nd quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 88 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. WPG Advisers LLC bought a new stake in FactSet Research Systems during the 1st quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Generali Investments Management Co LLC bought a new stake in FactSet Research Systems during the 2nd quarter valued at about $42,000. Institutional investors own 91.24% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Christopher Mcloughlin bought 338 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 23rd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $296.19 per share, for a total transaction of $100,112.22. Following the acquisition, the insider owned 3,446 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,020,670.74. The trade was a 10.88% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Helen L. Shan bought 370 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 6th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $275.48 per share, with a total value of $101,927.60. Following the acquisition, the executive vice president directly owned 9,284 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,557,556.32. The trade was a 4.15% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

FactSet Research Systems Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 29th were issued a $1.10 dividend. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 29th. FactSet Research Systems's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.30%.

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.

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