
FactSet Research Systems Inc.
NYSE-listed financial data company headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut, founded in 1978 and a constituent of the S&P 500 with 30 consecutive years of revenue growth.
Company Type
public
Founded
1978
Headquarters
Norwalk, Connecticut, USA
Stock
NYSE: FDS
Revenue
$2.32 billion (FY2025)
Employees
13,500
Primary Market
Global
About FactSet Research Systems Inc.
What does FactSet own?
FactSet owns its integrated data and analytics platform plus acquired businesses including CUSIP Global Services, Truvalue Labs, and Cognity, all delivered under the unified FactSet brand.
Is FactSet publicly traded?
Yes. FactSet trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker FDS and is a constituent of the S&P 500. It went public in 1996.
Who founded FactSet?
Howard Wille and Charles Snyder founded FactSet in 1978 in New York, initially delivering computer-generated financial reports on paper before moving to terminal software.
Where is FactSet headquartered?
FactSet is headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut, with more than 60 offices across 23 countries supporting its global client base.
Who is FactSet's CEO?
Sanoke Viswanathan has been CEO since September 2025, joining from JPMorgan Chase where he led international consumer banking. He succeeded longtime CEO Philip Snow.
Who owns FactSet?
FactSet is owned by public shareholders with no controlling holder. Institutional investors including Vanguard, BlackRock, and State Street hold the largest stakes in a widely dispersed register.
What is FactSet's business model?
FactSet sells subscriptions to its financial data and analytics platform, generating more than 95 percent recurring revenue with client retention above 95 percent. It earns high margins on data and software sold to investment professionals.
History of FactSet Research Systems Inc.
Howard Wille and Charles Snyder founded FactSet in 1978 in New York, initially delivering computer-generated company financial reports on paper. The name derives from a portmanteau of "facts" and "research," and its original insight was that computers could synthesize and distribute financial data faster than the printed sources professionals relied on.
The company moved to Norwalk, Connecticut and rode the personal computer revolution. By the 1980s it had shifted from printed reports to terminal software, and through the 1990s it built the integrated platform that became its signature product, aggregating data, analytics, and screening in one system.
FactSet went public in 1996 and began a decades-long acquisition strategy to expand its data coverage and analytics capabilities, buying companies that added estimates, fixed income, supply chain, private markets, and other datasets. The 2022 acquisition of CUSIP Global Services for $1.9 billion was its largest deal, giving it the foundational securities identifier business.
CEO transitions marked its recent history. Philip Snow led the company for two decades through 2015, followed by Frederick Philip Snow and then Sanoke Viswanathan, a former JPMorgan executive who became CEO in September 2025. The company passed $2 billion in annual revenue in fiscal 2023 and reached $2.32 billion in fiscal 2025, its 30th consecutive year of revenue growth.
FactSet Research Systems Inc. Sustainability & Ethics
FactSet publishes annual corporate sustainability and ESG reporting covering its own operations and provides ESG data products to clients. As a data company its regulated posture concerns data licensing, privacy, and financial information handling rather than consumer protection, and it participates in industry ESG disclosure frameworks.
Awards & Recognition
FactSet is consistently recognized as a top workplace in the financial data industry and appears on Fortune's lists of best companies to work for. Its products receive top rankings in industry surveys of buy-side technology, and its inclusion in the S&P 500 reflects its status as a large-cap quality company. The 30-year revenue growth streak is itself a frequently cited benchmark of consistency.
Controversy, Regulation & Public Scrutiny
FactSet carries no defining public scandal. Its challenges are commercial rather than legal: pricing pressure as AI tools threaten terminal value, integration execution on the large CUSIP acquisition, and the ongoing competition for seats in a financial industry that periodically contracts its headcount. Its record is otherwise clean for a company of its scale.
Brands Owned by FactSet Research Systems Inc.
FactSet Research Systems Inc. owns 1 brand in our database. Explore the ownership tree below — click categories to expand and see individual brands.
FactSet Research Systems Inc.
public · Founded 1978 · Norwalk, Connecticut, USA
1
brands
Stock Information
FactSet Research Systems Inc. Ownership: Pros & Cons
Advantages
- +95 percent recurring revenue produces exceptional earnings quality
- +Client retention above 95 percent reflects deep workflow embedding
- +S&P 500 status and three decades of growth attract quality investors
- +Integrated platform differentiates it from fragmented competitors
- +High margins and cash conversion fund consistent buybacks and dividends
Considerations
- -Growth rate has moderated to mid-single digits as the base scales
- -AI disruption threatens the terminal subscription model's pricing power
- -Concentration in institutional buy-side limits addressable market expansion
- -Premium valuation embeds continued high-quality growth
- -Integration of large acquisitions like CUSIP carries execution risk
Frequently Asked Questions About FactSet Research Systems Inc.
What does FactSet own?
FactSet owns its integrated data and analytics platform plus acquired businesses including CUSIP Global Services, Truvalue Labs, and Cognity, all delivered under the unified FactSet brand.
Is FactSet publicly traded?
Yes. FactSet trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker FDS and is a constituent of the S&P 500. It went public in 1996.
Who founded FactSet?
Howard Wille and Charles Snyder founded FactSet in 1978 in New York, initially delivering computer-generated financial reports on paper before moving to terminal software.
Where is FactSet headquartered?
FactSet is headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut, with more than 60 offices across 23 countries supporting its global client base.
Who is FactSet's CEO?
Sanoke Viswanathan has been CEO since September 2025, joining from JPMorgan Chase where he led international consumer banking. He succeeded longtime CEO Philip Snow.
Who owns FactSet?
FactSet is owned by public shareholders with no controlling holder. Institutional investors including Vanguard, BlackRock, and State Street hold the largest stakes in a widely dispersed register.
What is FactSet's business model?
FactSet sells subscriptions to its financial data and analytics platform, generating more than 95 percent recurring revenue with client retention above 95 percent. It earns high margins on data and software sold to investment professionals.





