FDS vs. MCO: FactSet Research Systems vs. Moody's Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do FactSet Research Systems (FDS) and Moody's (MCO) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

FactSet Research Systems (FDS) and Moody's (MCO) are both classified in the Financial Exchanges & Data sub-industry within the broader Capital Markets industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for FactSet Research Systems (FDS) and Moody's (MCO)
Profile Item	FDS	MCO
Name	FactSet Research Systems Inc.	Moody's Corporation
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Financials	Financials
GICS Industry Group	Financial Services	Financial Services
GICS Industry	Capital Markets	Capital Markets
GICS Sub-Industry	Financial Exchanges & Data	Financial Exchanges & Data
Market Capitalization	11.56 billion USD	87.19 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	June 28, 1996	October 31, 1994
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

FDS

MCO

GSPC

FactSet Research Systems (FDS) vs. Moody's (MCO), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for FactSet Research Systems (FDS) and Moody's (MCO). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for FactSet Research Systems (FDS) and Moody's (MCO). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for FactSet Research Systems (FDS) and Moody's (MCO)
Metric	FDS	MCO
Total Return (1Y)	27.49%	5.02%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	-8.71%	15.27%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-4.88%	6.21%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

FDS

MCO

GSPC

FactSet Research Systems (FDS) vs. Moody's (MCO), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for FactSet Research Systems (FDS) and Moody's (MCO). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for FactSet Research Systems (FDS) and Moody's (MCO)
Metric	FDS	MCO
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	48.03%	28.61%
Beta (5Y)	0.69	1.28
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-61.13%	-40.93%
Avg. Volume (3M)	803.71K	817.57K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

FDS and MCO are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for FactSet Research Systems (FDS) and Moody's (MCO)
Metric	FDS	MCO
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.48	0.03
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.71	0.04

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both companies show strong equity returns, but Moody's (MCO) at 76.74% is the standout with ROE above its industry range; FactSet Research Systems (FDS) at 25.48% also sits in the top quartile.

FDS

Financial Services industry group

25.48%

Max: 44.78%
FDS: 25.48%
Q3: 21.85%
Median: 12.91%
Q1: 4.48%
Min: -18.71%

MCO

Financial Services industry group

76.74%

MCO: 76.74%
Max: 44.78%
Q3: 21.85%
Median: 12.91%
Q1: 4.48%
Min: -18.71%

FactSet Research Systems (FDS) vs. Moody's (MCO): A comparison of their ROE against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Moody's (MCO) at 35.26% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of FactSet Research Systems (FDS) at 21.54%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

FDS

Financial Services industry group

21.54%

Max: 62.84%
Q3: 28.05%
FDS: 21.54%
Median: 15.36%
Q1: 4.82%
Min: -28.52%

MCO

Financial Services industry group

35.26%

Max: 62.84%
MCO: 35.26%
Q3: 28.05%
Median: 15.36%
Q1: 4.82%
Min: -28.52%

FactSet Research Systems (FDS) vs. Moody's (MCO): A comparison of their net margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both FactSet Research Systems (FDS) at 22.22% and Moody's (MCO) at 46.27% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

FDS

Financial Services industry group

22.22%

Max: 107.33%
Q3: 55.90%
Median: 30.09%
FDS: 22.22%
Q1: 14.60%
Min: -44.34%

MCO

Financial Services industry group

46.27%

Max: 107.33%
Q3: 55.90%
MCO: 46.27%
Median: 30.09%
Q1: 14.60%
Min: -44.34%

FactSet Research Systems (FDS) vs. Moody's (MCO): A comparison of their operating margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for FactSet Research Systems (FDS) and Moody's (MCO)
Metric	FDS	MCO
ROE (TTM)	25.48%	76.74%
ROA (TTM)	10.65%	15.56%
Net Margin (TTM)	21.54%	35.26%
Operating Margin (TTM)	22.22%	46.27%
Gross Margin (TTM)	--	--

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both FactSet Research Systems (FDS) at 6.65% and Moody's (MCO) at 8.89% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

FactSet Research Systems (FDS) vs. Moody's (MCO): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both FactSet Research Systems (FDS) at -6.30% and Moody's (MCO) at 21.40% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

FactSet Research Systems (FDS) vs. Moody's (MCO): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for FactSet Research Systems (FDS) and Moody's (MCO)
Metric	FDS	MCO
Revenue Growth (YoY)	6.65%	8.89%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	5.89%	12.17%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-6.30%	21.40%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	6.59%	22.48%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

current ratio doesn’t apply on either side: FactSet Research Systems (FDS) in Financial Services and Moody's (MCO) in Financial Services both report balance sheets without a current/non-current split, so their short-term liquidity is better judged through regulatory and funding measures.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

debt-to-equity ratio is set aside for both: FactSet Research Systems (FDS) in Financial Services and Moody's (MCO) in Financial Services run businesses where balance-sheet leverage is part of the model, so capital-adequacy and funding measures are the better gauges of balance-sheet risk.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for FactSet Research Systems (FDS) and Moody's (MCO)
Metric	FDS	MCO
Current Ratio (MRQ)	--	--
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	--	--
Net Debt / EBITDA	--	--

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both FactSet Research Systems (FDS) at 1.33% and Moody's (MCO) at 0.78% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

FDS

Financial Services industry group

1.33%

Max: 9.77%
Q3: 3.92%
FDS: 1.33%
Median: 1.09%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

MCO

Financial Services industry group

0.78%

Max: 9.77%
Q3: 3.92%
Median: 1.09%
MCO: 0.78%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

FactSet Research Systems (FDS) vs. Moody's (MCO): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both FactSet Research Systems (FDS) at 31.02% and Moody's (MCO) at 24.59% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

FDS

Financial Services industry group

31.02%

Max: 241.07%
Q3: 97.36%
FDS: 31.02%
Median: 25.77%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

MCO

Financial Services industry group

24.59%

Max: 241.07%
Q3: 97.36%
Median: 25.77%
MCO: 24.59%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

FactSet Research Systems (FDS) vs. Moody's (MCO): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for FactSet Research Systems (FDS) and Moody's (MCO)
Metric	FDS	MCO
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.33%	0.78%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	31.02%	24.59%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

FactSet Research Systems (FDS) at 22.50 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Moody's (MCO) at 30.85 sits in the richer quartile — MCO needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

FDS

Financial Services industry group

22.50

Max: 45.85
Q3: 24.64
FDS: 22.50
Median: 15.37
Q1: 9.68
Min: 0.16

MCO

Financial Services industry group

30.85

Max: 45.85
MCO: 30.85
Q3: 24.64
Median: 15.37
Q1: 9.68
Min: 0.16

FactSet Research Systems (FDS) vs. Moody's (MCO): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both look expensive on sales: FactSet Research Systems (FDS) at 4.67 sits in the upper P/S ratio quartile, and Moody's (MCO) at 10.66 prices even higher, above its industry range.

FDS

Financial Services industry group

4.67

Max: 9.23
FDS: 4.67
Q3: 4.57
Median: 2.72
Q1: 1.28
Min: -0.55

MCO

Financial Services industry group

10.66

MCO: 10.66
Max: 9.23
Q3: 4.57
Median: 2.72
Q1: 1.28
Min: -0.55

FactSet Research Systems (FDS) vs. Moody's (MCO): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: FactSet Research Systems (FDS) at 5.77 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Moody's (MCO) at 26.68 prices even higher, above its industry range.

FDS

Financial Services industry group

5.77

Max: 7.79
FDS: 5.77
Q3: 3.63
Median: 1.57
Q1: 0.81
Min: -0.39

MCO

Financial Services industry group

26.68

MCO: 26.68
Max: 7.79
Q3: 3.63
Median: 1.57
Q1: 0.81
Min: -0.39

FactSet Research Systems (FDS) vs. Moody's (MCO): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for FactSet Research Systems (FDS) and Moody's (MCO)
Metric	FDS	MCO
P/E Ratio (TTM)	22.50	30.85
P/S Ratio (TTM)	4.67	10.66
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	5.77	26.68
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	--	--