What is Zacks Research's Forecast for FDS Q3 Earnings?

Key Points

• Zacks Research trimmed its Q3 2026 EPS forecast for FactSet to $4.33 from $4.40.
• Despite the Q3 cut, Zacks raised longer‑term estimates—lifting FY2027 to $19.19 and FY2028 to $21.33—and included FactSet among three stocks recommended for solid sales growth in a market‑peak environment.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed: MarketBeat shows a consensus "Reduce" rating with a $279.85 price target, even as FactSet recently beat Q1 EPS and revenue estimates ($4.46 EPS; $611.0M revenue) and maintains a $4.40 annual dividend.

FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS - Free Report) - Stock analysts at Zacks Research reduced their Q3 2026 earnings estimates for FactSet Research Systems in a research report issued on Tuesday, April 21st. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the business services provider will post earnings per share of $4.33 for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $4.40. The consensus estimate for FactSet Research Systems' current full-year earnings is $17.65 per share.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the stock. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $425.00 to $380.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a report on Friday, March 27th. Evercore raised their price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $320.00 to $321.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $320.00 to $243.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and six have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, FactSet Research Systems currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $279.85.

FactSet Research Systems Stock Performance

Shares of FDS opened at $242.47 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.43. FactSet Research Systems has a one year low of $185.00 and a one year high of $474.79. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $214.01 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $254.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.83 billion, a PE ratio of 15.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.73.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 31st. The business services provider reported $4.46 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.37 by $0.09. FactSet Research Systems had a net margin of 24.48% and a return on equity of 30.25%. The business had revenue of $611.02 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $604.78 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $4.28 earnings per share. FactSet Research Systems's quarterly revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On FactSet Research Systems

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 444,058.1% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 13,857,733 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $4,021,376,000 after acquiring an additional 13,854,613 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 2.2% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,932,382 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,413,078,000 after acquiring an additional 107,184 shares in the last quarter. Bamco Inc. NY increased its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 58.8% during the fourth quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 2,888,845 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $838,314,000 after acquiring an additional 1,069,786 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 1.2% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,961,231 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $561,873,000 after acquiring an additional 23,660 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ninety One UK Ltd increased its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 1.2% during the third quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 1,206,890 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $345,762,000 after acquiring an additional 14,256 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.24% of the company's stock.

FactSet Research Systems Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th were paid a dividend of $1.10 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 27th. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. FactSet Research Systems's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.30%.

FactSet Research Systems News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting FactSet Research Systems this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised multiple quarterly and annual EPS forecasts for FDS (Q4 2026, FY2026, Q1–Q4 2027, FY2027, Q1–Q2 2028, FY2028). These upgrades lift FY2027 to $19.19 (from $18.89) and FY2028 to $21.33 (from $20.71), signaling a stronger earnings outlook that supports higher valuation.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks included FactSet as one of three recommended stocks for solid sales growth in a market-peak environment, which can attract buyer interest and boost sentiment. Buy These 3 Stocks for Solid Sales Growth As Markets Hit Record Highs
• Neutral Sentiment: Yahoo Finance published a valuation check highlighting FactSet's CFO transition and recent share-price volatility — a useful reminder for investors to balance the improved earnings outlook against valuation metrics and corporate-execution risk. FactSet Research Systems (FDS) Valuation Check After CFO Transition And Shifting Share Price Performance

About FactSet Research Systems

FactSet Research Systems Inc operates as a global provider of integrated financial data and analytics to the investment community. Founded in 1978 and headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut, the company offers a unified platform that aggregates content from thousands of sources, delivering real-time and historical market data, company fundamentals, estimates, fixed-income information and proprietary analytics to portfolio managers, research analysts, investment bankers and risk officers.

The company's core products include the FactSet Workstation, an application offering customizable screening, charting, portfolio analysis and news; APIs and data feeds for seamless integration into proprietary systems; and cloud-based solutions for thematic research and quantitative strategies.

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