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FactSet
FactSet, led by CEO Phil Snow, generates $2.2B annually serving over 200,000 investment professionals with integrated financial data and analytics.
FactSet
Howard Wille and Chuck Snyder launched FactSet in 1978, delivering company financial data to Wall Street equity analysts on paper — before terminals and spreadsheets became standard. The Norwalk, Connecticut-headquartered firm has since grown into a $2.2 billion public company, employing roughly 12,000 people across offices in London, Tokyo, Sydney, Frankfurt, Hyderabad, and Manila. Its 200,000-plus user base spans buy-side asset managers, sell-side investment banks, private equity firms, wealth managers, and corporate treasury departments. FactSet's core business aggregates and connects market data, company fundamentals, estimates, ownership, and fixed-income analytics into a unified platform. It competes directly with Bloomberg and Refinitiv for terminal subscriptions while expanding into higher-margin analytics, workflow solutions, and data management services. Its portfolio spans equity research, portfolio analytics, risk management, performance attribution, and investor relations tools. Headcount growth in Hyderabad and Manila reflects a multi-decade shift toward in-house data operations and engineering centers that support client-facing product teams in financial hubs. Major clients have included BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, and Franklin Templeton. Revenue reached $2.2 billion in fiscal year 2024, with roughly 10,000 employees contributing to platform development, data collection, and client service. FactSet operates R&D centers in India and the Philippines alongside commercial offices in financial capitals. March ¾²²´: FactSet promoted Chief Revenue Officer to a newly integrated go-to-market leadership role, consolidating sales and client solutions under a single executive reporting directly to CEO Phil Snow. The company maintains a regular dividend and has historically returned capital to shareholders through buybacks. FactSet's structural differentiator lies in its data-supply-chain model. Unlike Bloomberg, which vertically integrates news, execution, and communications, FactSet focuses on aggregating and normalizing third-party datasets — from Refinitiv, ICE, MSCI, and specialized alternative data vendors — into a consistent client-facing architecture. This neutral-assembly approach allows it to serve both an asset manager's fundamental equity team and their quantitative risk group without competing proprietary data agendas. Founder Howard Wille remains Chairman Emeritus. The Snow leadership team continues a strategy of bolt-on acquisitions — including CUSIP Global Services and Truvalue Labs — that deepen data assets rather than expand beyond financial analytics.
General information
Firm type
Asset Manager
Year founded
1978
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Norwalk
Corporate office
Norwalk, CT, United States
Additional offices
London, United Kingdom · Tokyo, Japan · Sydney, Australia · Frankfurt, Germany · Hyderabad, India · Manila, Philippines
Principals
Phil Snow
Chief Executive Officer
Helen Shan
Chief Financial Officer
Howard Sheer
Chairman
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at FactSet?
Investment decisions — meaning capital allocation for acquisitions, R&D spend, and partnerships — sit with CEO Phil Snow and the executive leadership team. FactSet is a public company and not an investment firm itself. Major strategic moves, such as the acquisitions of CUSIP Global Services in 2022 and Truvalue Labs in 2020, are approved by the Board of Directors, which is chaired by Howard Sheer with founder Howard Wille serving as Chairman Emeritus.
How does FactSet's data model differ from Bloomberg?
FactSet operates as an aggregator and normalizer of third-party data rather than a vertically integrated provider. Bloomberg collects much of its own data and bundles it with news, execution services, and a proprietary messaging network. FactSet licenses datasets from exchanges, index providers, and alternative data firms, then maps them into a unified platform. This makes it easier for clients to swap data sources or integrate proprietary models without leaving the FactSet ecosystem.
What was FactSet's biggest acquisition?
FactSet acquired CUSIP Global Services from S&P Global in March 2022 for approximately $1.925 billion, its largest transaction to date. CUSIP identifiers are the standard security-identification system used across US and Canadian markets; the deal embedded FactSet directly into industry plumbing and expanded its fixed-income analytics business.
What types of clients does FactSet serve?
FactSet's 200,000-plus user base splits across buy-side asset managers, hedge funds, sell-side investment banks, private equity and venture capital firms, wealth management platforms, and corporate treasury departments. Its terminal workstations, data feeds, and APIs span front-office research through middle-office risk and performance. In 2024, the company also deepened its push into wealth management with advisor-facing workstation tools.
Does FactSet compete directly with Refinitiv?
Yes, FactSet and Refinitiv (now part of LSEG) directly compete for desktop-terminal and data-feed subscribers among banks and asset managers. Both offer financial data, analytics, and workflow tools. FactSet differentiates through a more open architecture and a historically stronger buy-side client base, whereas Refinitiv carries deeper sell-side trading and transaction-data workflows from legacy Thomson Reuters roots.
How significant are FactSet's offshore operations?
FactSet maintains large data and engineering centers in Hyderabad, India, and Manila, Philippines, which together account for roughly 40-50% of total headcount. These offices handle data collection, quality assurance, and software development, serving as a strategic cost advantage that supports competitive pricing against peers with higher-cost delivery models.
Is FactSet a takeover target?
As a $2.2 billion revenue public company with founder influence and a $12-14 billion market capitalization in 2024, FactSet faces periodic consolidation speculation. The CUSIP acquisition demonstrates its own appetite for buying, not being bought. Its staggered board and dual-class structure have historically served as takeover defenses, and no credible activist campaign has publicly challenged its independence.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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