Definition
FactSet Research Systems Inc., trading as FactSet, is a financial data and software company headquartered in Norwalk, CT, United States. The company provides financial information and analytic software for investment professionals. For fiscal year 2016, FactSet’s annual sales were $1.13 billion.
FactSet
What is ‘FactSet’
FactSet Research Systems provides computer-based financial data and analysis for financial professionals, including investment managers, hedge funds and investment bankers. It consolidates data on global markets, public and private companies, and equity and fixed-income portfolios. FactSet was founded in 1978 by Howard Wille and Charles Snyder and is headquartered in Connecticut, with additional offices in the United States and around the world.
Explaining ‘FactSet’
FactSet’s mission is to help the performance of investment professionals throughout the world. The company does this by providing analytical insight gleaned from raw financial data. FactSet provides investors and other professionals with the tools needed to convert this data into information that can be used in financial analysis and financial reporting.
The Company’s Products
The company gives its clients an all-inclusive computer system that can be personalized for the specific needs of investment managers, hedge funds, investment bankers and other quantitative fields and industries. FactSet offers products that take care of market analytics, financial content, financial screening, customized data analytics and more. The company has a sterling track record of helping its clients succeed, and as of 2016, it services over 58,000 users in more than 2,900 companies and organizations. FactSet reports it has had a client retention rate of 90% for over 15 years.
Company Structure
FactSet is broken down into three business units: one in the United States, one in Europe and one in Asia Pacific. The business unit located in the United States provides financial solutions to financial professionals as well as domestic financial institutions. The European and Asia Pacific business units only service financial professionals in the regions in which each unit operates.
Further Reading
- Financial information systems and the fintech revolution – www.tandfonline.com [PDF]
- Determinants and economic consequences of non-financial disclosure quality – www.tandfonline.com [PDF]
- Financial development and economic growth: The role of foreign-owned banks in CESEE countries – www.mdpi.com [PDF]
- Economic, financial, and fundamental global risk in and out of the EMU – www.nber.org [PDF]
- Explaining Firms' Signed Earnings Announcement Stock Returns Using FactSet and I/B/E/S Data Feeds – papers.ssrn.com [PDF]
- The gravity of culture for finance – www.sciencedirect.com [PDF]
- The economic value of the R&D intangible asset – www.tandfonline.com [PDF]
