William Blair upgrades FactSet, says AI risk overstated

FactSet Research Systems

08/09/2026 19:00

** William Blair upgrades financial data provider FactSet Research FDS.N to "outperform" from "market perform"
** Brokerage views the perceived AI disruption risk as overstated for FDS, which it says has become a poster child for broader concerns that AI will disrupt financial data providers
** "We remain bullish on AI as a net benefit to information services because it should increase demand for trusted, decision-grade data, accelerate product development" —  William Blair
** Brokerage says that while the firm is smaller in scale than its largest and primary competitors S&P Global, Bloomberg and LSEG, FactSet's scale is sufficient for continued investment initiatives 
** 4 out of 20 brokerages rate the stock "buy" or higher, 10 "hold" and 6 "sell" or lower; median PT $254 — data compiled by LSEG
** As of last close, FDS stock up 4% YTD

(Reporting by Arasu Kannagi Basil in Bengaluru)
((ArasuKannagi.Basil@thomsonreuters.com))