ZYBERNO
Stock Report
Updated Aug 29, 2026

FACTSET RESEARCH SYSTEMS INC. (FDS)

Technology • NYSE

$308.98
FactSet Research Systems Inc. is an American financial data and analytics company headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut, that provides financial information and analytic applications to the investment community. The company aggregates content including company financials, earnings estimates, equity prices, news, and economic data from thousands of providers and delivers it through its FactSet workstation and data feed products to portfolio managers, analysts, and investment professionals.

Professional Investment Analysis

ZYBERNO SCORE
Is it a great business? Is it getting better?
73.0/100
GOOD BUSINESS
FACTSET RESEARCH SYSTEMS INC. (FDS) scores 73/100 — strong fundamentals with solid profitability and healthy cash flow generation.
📊 How is the Zyberno Score calculated? +
VALUATION SIGNAL
MARGIN OF SAFETY
Is this stock cheap or expensive relative to what the business has historically generated for owners?
-40.6%
Overvalued
Is the market underestimating or overestimating what this business is capable of going forward?
+0.9%
Fairly Priced
↑ UNDER
+50%
Brina Gap
-50%
↓ OVER
← OVERVALUED
-100%
Margin of Safety
UNDERVALUED →
+100%
UNDERESTIMATED
GROWTH
DOUBLE
DISCOUNT
EXPENSIVE
HYPE
VALUE
TRAP
0,0
MoS -40.6%  ·  Gap +0.9%

Two independent signals. One tells you if the stock is cheap relative to what the business has historically generated for owners — the Margin of Safety. The other tells you if the market is underestimating what the business is capable of going forward — the Brina Gap.

They are calculated from completely different data sources and answer completely different questions. The Margin of Safety reads the past. The Brina Gap reads the present economics and compares them against what the current stock price is assuming about the future.

When both point in the same direction simultaneously — DOUBLE DISCOUNT — the probability of genuine mispricing is high. The market is wrong on two independent dimensions at once, which is rare and significant.

The most dangerous scenario is not an overvalued stock — those are easy to avoid. It is a VALUE TRAP: a stock that appears cheap historically but where the market is already pricing in stronger growth than the business fundamentals support. Without the Brina Gap signal this looks identical to a genuine opportunity. The matrix separates them instantly.

The Brina Gap is the more powerful of the two signals. Most investors and analytical tools focus on valuation alone — whether a stock is cheap relative to earnings. Far fewer systematically compare what the business economics structurally support against what the stock price is actually assuming. That gap between fundamental growth potential and market expectations is where the most reliable mispricings live, and where this matrix earns its value.

Use this as your first filter. A stock in DOUBLE DISCOUNT territory is worth investigating. Everything else requires either more caution or a specific reason to act.

OVERPRICED
FACTSET RESEARCH SYSTEMS INC. (FDS) is expensive relative to historical cash generation (Margin of Safety -40.6%) with no forward growth catalyst identified (Brina Gap +0.9%).
🎯 Expected Annual Return
-6.3%
Margin of Safety convergence — your return if the market re-prices to intrinsic value (5-yr annualised)
10.2%
Brina Gap convergence — your return if the market corrects the growth mispricing the Gap measures
14.6%
Yield + growth — what the business alone earns you, even if the market never re-rates
💰 How is Margin of Safety calculated? +
📈 How is Brina Gap calculated? +

Critical Financial Health Indicators

Return on Equity (Profitability):EXCELLENT (26.6%)
Debt-to-Equity (Solvency Risk):AVERAGE (0.78x)
Operating Margin (Operational Efficiency):EXCELLENT (29.6%)
Return on Capital (Capital Efficiency):GOOD (18.9%)
📊 Valuation Trilogy
Three interconnected metrics for complete valuation analysis
Click any metric for full methodology and detailed analysis
Zyberno's Verdict

According to Zyberno, FACTSET RESEARCH SYSTEMS INC. (FDS) is not a buy — GOOD BUSINESS (73/100) with a negative Margin of Safety of -40.6% and a Brina Gap of +0.9% showing the market already prices in more growth than the fundamentals support.

According to Zyberno's DCF model, FACTSET RESEARCH SYSTEMS INC. (FDS) trades at $308.98 against an estimated intrinsic value per share of $219.73 — a -40.6% Margin of Safety based on Owner Earnings of $647.39M TTM, projected at 0.3% growth for 10 years with a 2.5% terminal growth rate. The Brina Gap of +0.9% strengthens the case: based on the company's ROIC (18.9%) and reinvestment rate (46.3%), the business can fundamentally grow at 8.8% — but the current enterprise value implies the market expects 7.8%. This places FDS in the Expensive Hype quadrant of the Brina Matrix, the most fragile combination — overvalued on cash AND overpriced on growth. Zyberno's model translates this into a 5-year expected return of -6.3% annually.

Over the trailing twelve months, FDS generated $647.39M in Owner Earnings. Capital was deployed as follows: $139.90M returned via share buybacks, $164.86M paid as dividends, $113.78M invested in capital expenditures. Reinvestment rate: 46.3%. Owner Earnings have grown at 0.3% annually over the trailing five years using log-linear regression.

DIVISION I: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
A. Market Valuation

Market Price & Capitalization (2)

Current Price:308.98
Market Cap:$11.16B

Valuation Multiples (4)

P/B Ratio:5.49x
P/S Ratio:4.58x
Peg Ratio:2.12x

Enterprise Metrics (3)

Enterprise Value:$12.26B
Ev Ebitda Ratio:12.35x
Pfcf Ratio:17.24x

Price Action & Momentum (3)

Momentum Percentile:9 / 100
% of 52-Week High:79.9%
B. Profitability Assessment

Return Metrics (7)

ROA:13.4%
Reinvestment Rate:46.3%
Fundamental Growth Rate (g):8.8%
Market-Implied Growth Rate:7.8%

Margin Analysis (3)

Operating Margin Ttm:29.6%
Net Margin Ttm:23.2%
Ebitda Margin:40.7%

TTM Performance (3)

Gross Margin Ttm:51.4%
Operating Margin Ttm:29.6%
Net Margin Ttm:23.2%

Yield Metrics (3)

Earnings Yield:$4.91
Owner Earnings Yield:$5.80
Dividend Yield:1.5%
C. Log-Linear Regression Growth Trends

Earnings Surprise (SUE) (3)

EPS Surprise vs Expected:-15.9%
Latest Earnings Filed:2026-07-01

Revenue Growth (Linear) (1)

Revenue Growth Rate (Linear):5.9%

Earnings Growth (Linear) (1)

Net Income Growth Rate (Linear):6.4%

Cash Flow Growth (Linear) (2)

Free Cash Flow Growth Rate (Linear):0.3%
Operating Cash Flow Growth Rate (Linear):3.9%

Operating Growth (Linear) (1)

Operating Income Growth Rate (Linear):5.6%
D. Financial Stability

Liquidity Ratios (3)

Current Ratio:0.68x
Quick Ratio:0.68x
Cash Ratio:0.27x

Leverage Analysis (3)

Debt To Equity Ttm:0.78x
Debt-to-Equity Ratio:0.78x
Debt To Ebitda:1.40x

Coverage Ratios (2)

Interest Coverage Ratio:14.07x
Times Interest Earned:14.07

Capital Structure (4)

Working Capital:-337,192,000.00
Cash And Cash Equivalents:288,114,000.00
Long Term Debt:$890.54M
Net Debt:$1.10B
DIVISION II: FINANCIAL STATEMENTS ANALYSIS
A. Income Statement Analysis

Revenue Components (2)

Revenue TTM: $2.44B
Linear Growth: 5.9%
📊 Click to view full FDS Revenue analysis & methodology →
Cost Of Revenue Ttm:$1.19B

Profitability Breakdown (2)

Gross profit TTM: $1.25B
Linear Growth: 4.4%
📊 Click to view full FDS Gross Profit analysis & methodology →
Operating income TTM: $720.65M
Linear Growth: 5.6%
📊 Click to view full FDS Operating Income analysis & methodology →

Bottom Line Performance (3)

Net income TTM: $565.97M
Linear Growth: 6.4%
📊 Click to view full FDS Net Income analysis & methodology →
Income Before Tax:$694.30M
Ebitda Ttm:992,838,000.00

Operating Expenses (5)

Operating Expenses:1,717,805,000.00
R And D Expense:300,700,000.00
Sga Expense:532,287,000.00
Income Tax Expense:$128.33M
Interest Expense:53,172,000.00

Expense Ratios (3)

R And D To Revenue Percentage:48.3%
Sga To Revenue Percentage:85.5%
Ebitda Margin:40.7%
B. Balance Sheet Analysis

Asset Composition (5)

Total Assets:$4.19B
Current Assets:$727.52M
Ppe Net:82,319,000.00
Goodwill:1,283,377,000.00
Intangible Assets:$1.87B

Liability Structure (4)

Total Liabilities:2,159,707,000.00
Current Liabilities:1,064,711,000.00
Long Term Debt:$890.54M
Short Term Debt:$499.16M

Equity & Capital (3)

Equity:$2.03B
Retained Earnings:$2.61B
Common Stock:150,000,000.00

Working Capital Items (3)

Accounts Receivable:289,990,000.00
Inventory:0.00
Accounts Payable:163,982,000.00

Special Items (2)

Contract Liabilities:183,494,000.00
Stock Based Compensation:22,217,000.00
C. Cash Flow Analysis

Operating Activities (2)

Operating cash flow TTM: $761.17M
Linear Growth: 3.9%
Free cash flow TTM: $647.39M
Linear Growth: 25.0%
📊 Click to view full FDS Free Cash Flow analysis & methodology →

Investment Activities (2)

Investing Cash Flow:$4.33M
Capital Expenditures Ttm:113,779,000.00

Financing Activities (3)

Financing Cash Flow:-$190.51M
Dividends Paid Ttm:164,860,000.00
Stock Repurchase:139,899,000.00

Capital Transactions (3)

Common Stock Issuance:0.00
Long Term Debt Issuance:$0.00
Long Term Debt Repayments:$0.00

Non-Cash Items (1)

Depreciation Amortization Ttm:272,184,000.00
DIVISION III: OPERATIONAL METRICS
A. Per Share Analysis

Earnings Per Share (3)

EPS (Basic TTM):15.25
Eps diluted TTM: $15.18
Linear Growth: 7.9%
📊 Click to view full FDS EPS analysis & methodology →
Earnings Per Share Ttm:$15.67

Revenue & Cash Per Share (3)

Sales Per Share Ttm:67.51
Operating Cash Flow Per Share:$20.11
Fcf Per Share Ttm:17.92

Book Value & Capital (2)

Book Value Per Share:$56.26
Cash Per Share:7.98

Dividend Policy (1)

Dividend Payout Ratio:32.62x
B. Operational Efficiency

Asset Utilization (2)

Asset Turnover Ttm:0.58x
Working Capital Turnover Ttm:-999.00x

Receivables Management (2)

Receivables Turnover Ttm:8.41x
Days Sales Outstanding Ttm:43.41

Inventory Management (2)

Inventory Turnover Ttm:-999.00x
Days Inventory Outstanding Ttm:-999.00

Payables & Cash Cycle (2)

Days Payable Outstanding:50.49
Cash Conversion Cycle:-1,006.08
C. Quality & Risk Metrics

Financial Quality Scores (2)

Financial Strength Score:40.00
Quality Score:85.00

Market Metrics (2)

Beta:0.00x
Volatility Category:unknown
DIVISION IV: INVESTMENT ANALYSIS
A. Value Investment Framework

Owner Earnings Analysis (3)

Owner earnings TTM: $647.39M
Linear Growth: 26.7%
📊 Click to view full FDS Owner Earnings analysis & methodology →
Owner Earnings Per Share:$17.92
Owner Earnings Yield:$5.80

Growth Assessment (1)

Owner Earnings Growth Rate:$0.27

Damodaran Growth Analysis (4)

Reinvestment Rate:46.3%
Fundamental Growth Rate (g):8.8%
Market-Implied Growth Rate:7.8%

Intrinsic Value Models (1)

Return Scenarios (2)

Investment Assessment (1)

Buffett Assessment:Overvalued
B. Log-Linear Regression Growth Analysis

Growth Rates (Log-Linear Regression) (3)

Revenue Growth Rate (Linear):5.9%
Net Income Growth Rate (Linear):6.4%
Operating Income Growth Rate (Linear):5.6%

Cash Flow Growth Rates (2)

Free Cash Flow Growth Rate (Linear):0.3%
Operating Cash Flow Growth Rate (Linear):3.9%

Other Growth Rates (3)

Gross Profit Growth Rate (Linear):4.4%
Book Value Growth Rate (Linear):14.0%
Owner Earnings Growth Rate:$0.27
C. Company Profile & Context

Corporate Information (6)

Symbol:FDS
Company Name:FACTSET RESEARCH SYSTEMS INC.
Sector:Technology
Industry:Software Development
Exchange:NYSE
Country:United States

Market Classification (3)

Market Cap Category:N/A
Price Category:premium
Volume Category:N/A

Share Structure (3)

Shares Outstanding:36.12M
Shares Outstanding Basic:36.12M
Shares Outstanding Diluted:36.19M

Data Processing Info (3)

Processing Version:v3.0
Last Updated:2026-08-29 16:20:39 UTC
Data Timestamp:2026-08-29T16:20:39.760174
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