Merit Financial Group LLC Has $1.22 Million Stock Position in FactSet Research Systems Inc. $FDS

Merit Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) by 120.8% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 4,197 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 2,296 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in FactSet Research Systems were worth $1,218,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in FDS. First Horizon Corp bought a new stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Cromwell Holdings LLC bought a new stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Winnow Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of FactSet Research Systems during the third quarter worth about $28,000. BOKF NA increased its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 5,100.0% during the third quarter. BOKF NA now owns 104 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd increased its position in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 53.4% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 112 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.24% of the company’s stock.

FactSet Research Systems Trading Down 6.0%

Shares of FDS stock opened at $228.10 on Friday. FactSet Research Systems Inc. has a 52-week low of $185.00 and a 52-week high of $474.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.43. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $214.54 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $254.03. The company has a market capitalization of $8.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.67, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.73.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 31st. The business services provider reported $4.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 the consensus estimate of $604.78 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $4.28 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that FactSet Research Systems Inc. will post 17.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

FactSet Research Systems Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th were given a $1.10 dividend. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 27th. FactSet Research Systems’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.30%.

FactSet Research Systems News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised medium‑ and longer‑term outlooks — FY2027 was lifted to $19.19 from $18.89 and FY2028 to $21.33 from $20.71, implying stronger expected earnings growth beyond the current year. These upward revisions signal analyst confidence in FactSet’s revenue and margin trajectory, which can support higher valuation over time. Zacks Research Report (Apr 21)
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks increased several quarterly estimates across 2026–2028 (examples: Q4 2026 to $4.27 from $4.14; Q1 2027 to $4.74; Q2 2027 to $4.61; Q3 2027 to $4.80; Q4 2027 to $5.03; Q1 2028 to $5.16; Q2 2028 to $5.26). These upgrades suggest analysts expect continued quarter‑over‑quarter earnings strength. Zacks Research Report (Apr 21)
• Neutral Sentiment: Consensus full‑year estimates remain near $17.64–$17.65, so near‑term market expectations for FY2026 are largely unchanged despite the mix of revisions. Investors should watch upcoming company guidance/quarterly results for confirmation. Zacks Research Report (Apr 21)
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical/fundamental context: FDS trades between its 50‑day ($214) and 200‑day ($254) moving averages, has a P/E ~14.7 and a market cap near $8.3B — useful context for investors weighing valuation versus growth expectations. FactSet Stock Profile
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks trimmed its Q3 2026 EPS estimate to $4.33 from $4.40 — a modest near‑term downgrade that could pressure sentiment if investors focus on quarterly timing rather than the stronger multi‑year revisions. Zacks Research Report (Apr 21)

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on FDS. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Evercore boosted their target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $320.00 to $321.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $425.00 to $380.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Bank of America began coverage on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $195.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and six have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $279.85.

FactSet Research Systems Profile

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.