FactSet(FDS) - 2025 Q2 - Earnings Call Transcript

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Organic ASV grew by 4.1% year over year, with adjusted operating margin at 37.3% and adjusted diluted EPS at $4.28 [9][24] - GAAP revenues increased by 4.5% year over year to $571 million, while organic revenues grew by 4% to $568 million [25] - GAAP operating margin decreased by approximately 80 basis points to 32.5%, while adjusted operating margin decreased by 100 basis points year over year to 37.3% [25][26] - Free cash flow was $150 million in the second quarter, up 23% over the same period last year [29] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Wealth management saw double-digit growth, with significant market share gains, particularly with UBS selecting FactSet for their advisor desktops [12][13] - Banking faced challenges, but renewal activity increased notably, with over a dozen large banking renewals signed [14][15] - PEVC (Private Equity and Venture Capital) experienced accelerated double-digit growth, while corporates contributed to growth due to the Erwin acquisition [15][16] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - In the Americas, organic ASV grew by 4%, with mixed results in asset management and banking [11] - EMEA saw organic ASV growth of 3%, with momentum in hedge funds and PEVC firms offset by headwinds in asset management [11] - Asia Pacific maintained 7% organic ASV growth, driven by strong sales of data solutions among wealth, corporates, hedge funds, and PEVC firms [11] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company aims to drive top-line growth, focusing on wealth management as a key growth engine and expanding its product offerings [18][19] - Recent acquisitions, including Erwin and Liquidity Book, are expected to enhance cross-selling opportunities and accelerate growth [19][20] - The company is prioritizing investments in technology and generative AI to improve workflow productivity and client engagement [20][34] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in reaching an inflection point in ASV growth, despite a challenging market environment [9][10] - There is optimism regarding the sales pipeline and product-led innovation, with expectations for growth acceleration in the second half of the fiscal year [9][10] - Management acknowledged market uncertainties but highlighted strong client relationships and a robust pipeline as positive indicators for future performance [20][34] Other Important Information - The company reaffirmed its guidance for organic ASV growth at a midpoint of 5%, narrowing the range to $100 million to $130 million [32][33] - The effective tax rate is expected to remain between 17% to 18% [34] - The company returned $392 million to shareholders over the last twelve months through dividends and share repurchases [31] Q&A Session Summary Question: Can you provide more details on the traction with clients regarding Pitch Creator and other Gen AI products? - Management noted strong momentum with Pitch Creator and positive reception from banks, with plans to monetize these products more seriously in Q3 and Q4 [36][37] Question: Is the environment improving, or is the company performing better in a challenging environment? - Management indicated that while the environment remains challenging, they have de-risked major issues and are seeing strength across all markets [44][46] Question: How does the company view the impact of banking on guidance? - Management stated that they are not relying on banking for their numbers, with conservative estimates baked into the guidance [52][54] Question: Is the UBS Vault deal included in ASV this quarter? - Management confirmed that the UBS deal was booked in Q2, but user contributions will come in later quarters [57][62] Question: Can you clarify the pricing dynamics in the quarter? - Management explained that lower CPI impacted annual price increases, but they are capturing additional ASV through higher pricing and volume in new business [64][66] Question: What is the outlook for the data and feeds business? - Management highlighted strong demand for high-quality data, with improvements in the data feed business driven by new tech startups and partnerships [78][80]