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Factset Research Systems Inc.: Q3 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q3 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 1 July 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 12 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Revenue grew on GAAP and organic basis: GAAP revenues were $622.9 million, up 6.4%, and organic revenues rose 7.0%. The company said growth came from institutional buy-side and wealth management clients. Source
  • GAAP diluted EPS fell on higher costs: GAAP diluted EPS was $3.50 against $3.87, down 9.6%, and net income was $126.7 million, down 14.7%. Management tied the decline to higher operating expenses, partly offset by revenue growth and a lower share count. Source
  • Organic ASV reached $2,485.6 million: Organic ASV was $2,485.6 million, up $165.0 million or 7.1% year over year, against $2,449.1 million at February 28, 2026. Source
  • GAAP margin fell on compensation: GAAP operating margin was 26.7% against 33.2%. Management cited higher employee compensation, including one-time charges, and CEO compensation costs not incurred in the prior year. Source
  • Free cash flow up 11.1%: Free cash flow was $254.0 million, up 11.1%. Operating cash flow was $284.5 million, up 12.1%, and capital expenditure was $30.5 million. Source
  • Shareholder returns of $243.4 million: The company returned $243.4 million to shareholders in Q3: $203.1 million of share repurchases and $40.3 million of dividends. Fiscal year-to-date deployment was $628.7 million. Source
  • Joshua Warren named CFO: Joshua B. Warren was appointed CFO effective April 13, 2026. He previously served as CFO of Envestnet and held senior strategy roles at BlackRock. Source

“Clients are choosing FactSet to power critical workflows and informed decision-making, driving a robust pipeline and accelerating enterprise contracts.”

Sanoke Viswanathan, CEO

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Organic ASV growth Sourcefiscal 2026$130 million - $160 millionKept
GAAP revenues Sourcefiscal 2026$2,450 million - $2,470 millionKept
GAAP operating margin Sourcefiscal 202629.5% - 31.0%Kept
Adjusted operating margin Sourcefiscal 202634.0% - 35.5%Kept
Annual effective tax rate Sourcefiscal 202618.0% - 19.0%Kept
GAAP diluted EPS Sourcefiscal 2026$14.85 - $15.35Kept
Adjusted diluted EPS Sourcefiscal 2026$17.25 - $17.75Kept
Operating income Sourcefiscal 2026$729 million to $760 millionKept
Net income Sourcefiscal 2026$555 million to $582 millionKept
Adjusted operating income Sourcefiscal 2026$840 million to $870 millionKept
Adjusted net income Sourcefiscal 2026$645 million to $670 millionKept
Intangible asset amortization, CEO compensation and discrete items Sourcefiscal 2026$75 million; $25 million; $10 million to $12 millionKept

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance kept: Management reaffirmed fiscal 2026 guidance given on March 31, 2026, with no figure changed in this release. Source
  • New: Joshua B. Warren appointed Chief Financial Officer; the previous release quoted Helen Shan as CFO. Source
  • New: New AI partnerships with Google Cloud, Finster AI and TIFIN.AI, plus the FactSet MCP server. Source
  • New: Partnerships with J.P. Morgan and Valutico for portfolio and private markets workflow capabilities. Source
  • New: Quarterly dividend increased by $0.06 to $1.16 per share. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Revenue grew on GAAP and organic basis: GAAP revenues were $622.9 million, up 6.4%, and organic revenues rose 7.0%. The company said growth came from institutional buy-side and wealth management clients. Source
  • GAAP diluted EPS fell on higher costs: GAAP diluted EPS was $3.50 against $3.87, down 9.6%, and net income was $126.7 million, down 14.7%. Management tied the decline to higher operating expenses, partly offset by revenue growth and a lower share count. Source
  • Adjusted EPS rose 6.1%: Adjusted diluted EPS was $4.53 against $4.27, up 6.1%. Adjusted net income was $163.8 million, down 0.1% year over year. Adjusted EBITDA was $220.2 million, down 6.7%. Source

Segments and regions

  • Americas organic ASV up 7.2%: Americas organic ASV was $1,621.0 million, up 7.2%. Americas revenues were $407.2 million, up 7.0% on an organic basis from $380.5 million a year earlier. Source
  • EMEA organic ASV up 5.6%: EMEA organic ASV was $608.7 million, up 5.6%. EMEA revenues were $152.0 million, up 5.3% organically from $145.7 million. Source
  • APAC organic ASV up 10.0%: APAC organic ASV was $255.9 million, up 10.0%. APAC revenues were $63.7 million, up 10.5% organically from $59.3 million. Source

“Across regions and firm types, clients are expanding their relationships with FactSet and actively adopting our AI solutions, reinforcing our confidence in FactSet's sustained growth and long-term value.”

Sanoke Viswanathan, CEO

Products and customers

  • AI product use among top clients: More than 90% of the Top 50 clients use four or more AI products. The release presents this as broader client adoption of FactSet AI products. Source
  • Company profile counts restated: The boilerplate gives more than 9,100 global clients and over 247,000 individual users. The previous release's operational highlights gave 9,101 clients and 241,352 users at February 28, 2026. Source

Demand and the order book

  • Organic ASV reached $2,485.6 million: Organic ASV was $2,485.6 million, up $165.0 million or 7.1% year over year, against $2,449.1 million at February 28, 2026. Source
  • Renewals lengthened and retention held: Q3 enterprise renewals lengthened 30% on average, and annual ASV retention remained above 95%. Commercial Excellence initiatives were cited as deepening client relationships. Source
  • ASV added $35.4 million in quarter: Organic ASV increased $35.4 million over the last three months, against $38.0 million in the prior quarter's three-month period. Source

Costs, margins and tax

  • GAAP margin fell on compensation: GAAP operating margin was 26.7% against 33.2%. Management cited higher employee compensation, including one-time charges, and CEO compensation costs not incurred in the prior year. Source
  • Adjusted margin fell on pay and tech: Adjusted operating margin was 34.0% against 36.8%, mainly from higher compensation and technology-related expenses. Adjusted operating income was $211.8 million, down 1.7%. Source
  • Cost of services and SG&A rose: Cost of services was $312.2 million against $280.7 million, and selling, general and administrative expense was $144.4 million against $110.6 million. Source
  • Effective tax rate edged up: GAAP effective tax rate was 17.8% against 17.5%, primarily from the limit on deductibility of executive compensation. Source

Cash flow and capital returns

  • Free cash flow up 11.1%: Free cash flow was $254.0 million, up 11.1%. Operating cash flow was $284.5 million, up 12.1%, and capital expenditure was $30.5 million. Source
  • Shareholder returns of $243.4 million: The company returned $243.4 million to shareholders in Q3: $203.1 million of share repurchases and $40.3 million of dividends. Fiscal year-to-date deployment was $628.7 million. Source
  • Buyback pace and remaining authorization: 926,370 shares were repurchased at an average price of $219.21. $494.0 million remained available under the program at May 31, 2026. Source
  • Quarterly dividend raised to $1.16: The quarterly dividend rose $0.06 to $1.16 per share, the twenty-seventh consecutive year of increases on a split-adjusted basis. Source

Strategy and partnerships

  • Google Cloud, Finster and TIFIN.AI tie-ups: New partnerships with Google Cloud, Finster AI and TIFIN.AI, alongside the FactSet MCP server, were cited as broadening adoption of AI-ready solutions. Source
  • Portfolio and private markets partnerships: Partnerships with J.P. Morgan and Valutico were said to give clients more integrated tools for whole portfolio analytics and private capital valuation. Source
  • AI ecosystem extended to banking and wealth: The company said the partner ecosystem extends AI-enabled workflows across investment banking, wealth management and enterprise financial intelligence. Source

People and leadership

  • Joshua Warren named CFO: Joshua B. Warren was appointed CFO effective April 13, 2026. He previously served as CFO of Envestnet and held senior strategy roles at BlackRock. Source
  • CEO make-whole awards recognized over time: One-time make-whole cash and equity awards issued to the CEO are recognized over their service periods, adding $4.3 million of costs this quarter. Source

Coming up, as management said on 1 July 2026

  • Guidance not updated before next results: Management does not intend to update its forward-looking statements before the next quarterly results announcement. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Annual Subscription Value (ASV) Source$2,484.3 million
Organic ASV growth Source7.1%
Annual ASV retention Sourceabove 95%
Top 50 clients using four or more AI products Source90%+
Global clients Sourcemore than 9,100
Individual users Sourceover 247,000

Risks management discussed

  • Operational: Restructuring and severance charges of $19.6 million were recorded in the quarter and excluded from adjusted operating income. Source
  • Financial: An impairment of an equity investment within Other assets of $2.3 million was recorded and excluded from adjusted figures. Source
  • Financial: Client bankruptcy charges of $0.75 million were recorded and excluded from adjusted operating income. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Not stated: Management reaffirmed the fiscal 2026 guidance given on March 31, 2026; progress against it is not described. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.