FDS vs VRSK vs MCO Stock Comparison

Factset Research Systems, Verisk Analytics and Moodys Prices as of Nov 2, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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FDS Factset Research Systems Inc
$344.03 +29.3% 1M +28.9% 1Y
Market cap
$12.13B
P/E
23.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$2.48B
Div. yield
1.31%
Financial Data and Analytics Financial Services
5 wins
VRSK Verisk Analytics, Inc.
$201.50 +23.0% 1M -7.9% 1Y
Market cap
$26.22B
P/E
29.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$3.14B
Div. yield
0.97%
Financial Data and Analytics Financial Services
1 win
MCO Moodys Corp /De/
$505.87 +14.6% 1M +5.3% 1Y
Market cap
$87.21B
P/E
30.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$8.18B
Div. yield
0.80%
Financial Data and Analytics Financial Services
6 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Moodys leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Moodys 6, Factset Research Systems 5, Verisk Analytics 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionFDSVRSKMCOLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $12.13B $26.22B $87.21B MCO
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 23.5x 29.8x 30.3x FDS
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 18.5x 25.3x 28.2x FDS
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +6.7% +5.0% +9.0% MCO
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 21.5% 28.2% 35.3% MCO
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 16.9% 31.9% 27.9% VRSK
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.3x 2.3x 1.3x FDS
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 1.31% 0.97% 0.80% FDS
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +28.9% -7.9% +5.3% FDS
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -4.8%/yr -1.2%/yr +5.5%/yr MCO
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 48.1% 35.8% 28.4% MCO
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 51/100 54/100 59/100 MCO

Percentile Scorecard

FDSVRSKMCO

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisFDSVRSKMCO
Valuation 25 #704 of 939 26 #695 of 939 17 #779 of 939
Growth 25 #613 of 814 44 #453 of 814 72 #231 of 814
Profitability 79 #174 of 828 97 #28 of 828 97 #29 of 828
Financial Health 60 #360 of 898 32 #610 of 898 52 #431 of 898
Shareholder Returns 68 #234 of 725 72 #202 of 725 57 #313 of 725
Overall 51 54 59
  • FDS ranked among 1,003 companies in Financial Services
  • VRSK ranked among 1,003 companies in Financial Services
  • MCO ranked among 1,003 companies in Financial Services

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodFDSVRSKMCOSPY
1 month +29.3%+23.0%+14.6% -2.3%
3 months +27.5%+4.3%+4.7% -0.7%
6 months +53.3%+12.8%+12.5% +4.8%
Year to date +18.6%-9.9%-1.0% +10.3%
1 year +28.9%-7.9%+5.3% +10.3%
3 years -22.5%-12.6%+52.6% +73.0%
3 years, per year -8.1%-4.4%+15.1% +20.1%
5 years -21.9%-6.0%+30.9% +61.9%
5 years, per year -4.8%-1.2%+5.5% +10.1%
10 years +126.8%+145.1%+416.4% +258.6%
10 years, per year +8.5%+9.4%+17.8% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureFDSVRSKMCOSPY
Volatility, 1Y 48.1%35.8%28.4% 12.8%
Downside volatility, 1Y 49.9%36.4%29.9% 12.8%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y -0.09-0.480.46 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.60-0.220.19 0.80
Max drawdown, 5Y -61.7%-51.2%-41.4% -25.4%
From 52-week high 0.0%-10.5%-6.3% -3.5%
52-week high $344.03$225.07$539.61 $779.14
52-week low $190.06$156.84$412.23 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleFDSVRSKMCO
P/E now vs peer median 23.5xmedian 13.6x 29.8xmedian 13.6x 30.3xmedian 13.6x
P/S now vs peer median 4.9xmedian 3.3x 8.4xmedian 3.3x 10.7xmedian 3.3x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 15.0xmedian 6.0x 17.5xmedian 6.0x 22.3xmedian 6.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median 17.1xmedian 11.0x 21.2xmedian 11.0x 29.3xmedian 11.0x
P/B now vs peer median 6.1xmedian 1.2x -22.1xmedian 1.2x 25.6xmedian 1.2x
PEG now vs peer median 3.57median 0.92 1.19median 0.92 1.15median 0.92

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsFDSVRSKMCO
Revenue $2.48B $3.14B $8.18B
Gross profit $1.25B $2.20B $6.10B
Operating income $699.96M $1.38B $3.64B
Net income $533.48M $885.50M $2.89B
Free cash flow $707.48M $1.24B $2.98B
EPS (diluted) $14.57 $6.77 $16.64
Cash & equivalents $233.34M $551.40M $1.51B
Total debt $1.37B $4.47B $6.91B
Shares (diluted) 36.61M 130.85M 173.30M
Enterprise value $10.98B $20.86B $80.28B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricFDSVRSKMCO
P/E 23.5x 29.8x 30.3x
P/FCF 17.1x 21.2x 29.3x
P/Operating cash flow 14.8x 17.4x 26.2x
P/S 4.9x 8.4x 10.7x
P/B 6.1x -22.1x 25.6x
P/Tangible book 79.6x -17.5x 50.8x
EV/EBITDA 15.0x 17.5x 22.3x
EV/EBIT 18.9x 21.9x 25.4x
EV/Revenue 5.3x 9.6x 11.3x
EV/FCF 18.7x 24.4x 31.1x
EV/Operating cash flow 16.1x 20.1x 27.8x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 3.57 1.19 1.15

Growth

14 metrics
MetricFDSVRSKMCO
Revenue growth (1Y) 6.7% 5.0% 9.0%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 5.9% 6.9% 12.6%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 2.4% 6.2% 10.3%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 4.1% 8.3% 14.6%
Operating income growth (1Y) -6.5% 4.8% 16.0%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 3.6% 6.6% 23.3%
Net income growth (1Y) -10.6% -3.3% 28.5%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 4.4% 20.7% 24.0%
EPS growth (1Y) -6.3% 3.7% 33.1%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 6.6% 25.0% 26.5%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 13.2% 21.1% 22.5%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 8.4% 11.4% 17.5%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 14.6% 21.2% 24.1%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 6.6% 14.6% 18.8%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricFDSVRSKMCO
Gross margin 50.6% 70.2% 74.6%
EBITDA margin 35.6% 55.0% 50.6%
Operating margin 28.3% 43.9% 44.6%
Pretax margin 26.2% 37.0% 45.2%
Net margin 21.5% 28.2% 35.3%
FCF margin 28.6% 39.4% 36.4%
Operating cash flow margin 33.2% 47.9% 40.7%
Return on equity 26.4% – 87.8%
Return on assets 12.8% 19.5% 19.6%
Return on invested capital 16.9% 31.9% 27.9%
Return on capital employed 22.8% 40.1% 31.8%
Asset turnover 0.6x 0.7x 0.6x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.5x 1.7x 1.2x
Stock comp / revenue 3.4% 1.8% 2.8%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricFDSVRSKMCO
Debt / assets 33.1% 99.5% 46.6%
Debt / equity 0.7x -3.8x 2.0x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.3x 2.3x 1.3x
Debt / FCF 1.9x 3.6x 2.3x
Liabilities / assets 51.6% 126.4% 77.0%
Equity / assets 48.4% -26.4% 23.0%
Interest coverage 12.8x 7.0x –
Current ratio 0.6x 1.0x 1.3x
Quick ratio 0.5x 0.9x 1.3x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.5x 0.5x
Altman Z-score 5.34 7.01 7.87

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricFDSVRSKMCO
Dividend yield 1.3% 1.0% 0.8%
Net buyback yield 5.0% 7.1% 3.4%
Shareholder yield 6.3% 8.1% 4.2%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – 24.6%
Payout ratio (FCF) – – 23.8%
Dividend growth (1Y) – – 3.0%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – 8.8%

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusFDSVRSKMCO
Forward P/E 18.5xFY2027 25.3xFY2026 28.2xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $18.55FY2027 $7.97FY2026 $17.93FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +3.0%FY2027 +11.3%FY2026 +20.0%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +21.9% +5.1% -1.5%
Revenue, next fiscal year $2.68BFY2027 $3.33BFY2026 $8.69BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +8.1%FY2027 +8.6%FY2026 +12.6%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +9.7% +6.7% -2.0%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersFDSVRSKMCO
Held by institutions 100.0% 97.6% 90.8%
Institutions holding 770 955 1,406
Change in shares held, QoQ +6.1% -0.4% -1.6%
Institutions buying 416 489 645
Institutions selling 244 349 523
Buyers to sellers 1.70 1.40 1.23

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

FDSVRSKMCO
FDS 1.00 0.65 0.60
VRSK 0.65 1.00 0.59
MCO 0.60 0.59 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, FDS, VRSK and MCO?

Moodys (MCO) is the largest by market capitalisation: Factset Research Systems (FDS) $12.13B, Verisk Analytics (VRSK) $26.22B, Moodys (MCO) $87.21B.

Which stock is cheaper, FDS, VRSK and MCO?

Factset Research Systems (FDS) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Factset Research Systems (FDS) 23.5x, Verisk Analytics (VRSK) 29.8x, Moodys (MCO) 30.3x). On next year's consensus earnings, Factset Research Systems (FDS) is cheapest (Factset Research Systems (FDS) 18.5x, Verisk Analytics (VRSK) 25.3x, Moodys (MCO) 28.2x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Moodys (MCO) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Factset Research Systems (FDS) +6.7%, Verisk Analytics (VRSK) +5.0%, Moodys (MCO) +9.0%.

Which company is more profitable?

Moodys (MCO) has the highest net margin (Factset Research Systems (FDS) 21.5%, Verisk Analytics (VRSK) 28.2%, Moodys (MCO) 35.3%). On return on invested capital, Verisk Analytics (VRSK) leads (Factset Research Systems (FDS) 16.9%, Verisk Analytics (VRSK) 31.9%, Moodys (MCO) 27.9%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Factset Research Systems (FDS) returned the most: Factset Research Systems (FDS) +28.9%, Verisk Analytics (VRSK) -7.9%, Moodys (MCO) +5.3%. Over five years, Moodys (MCO) compounded fastest (Factset Research Systems (FDS) -4.8%/yr, Verisk Analytics (VRSK) -1.2%/yr, Moodys (MCO) +5.5%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Factset Research Systems (FDS) has the highest dividend yield: Factset Research Systems (FDS) 1.31%, Verisk Analytics (VRSK) 0.97%, Moodys (MCO) 0.80%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Moodys (MCO) has been the steadiest (Factset Research Systems (FDS) 48.1%, Verisk Analytics (VRSK) 35.8%, Moodys (MCO) 28.4%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, FDS, VRSK and MCO?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Moodys (MCO) leads on 6. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.