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FactSet Research Systems Inc. (FDS) vs Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL): Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?

As of 2026-06-19, FDS is undervalued at $221, with a DCF intrinsic value of $408 and a margin of safety of 46%. GOOGL is overvalued at $368, with an intrinsic value of $94 and a margin of safety of -290%. Of the two, FDS has the wider margin of safety.

FDS

FactSet Research Systems Inc.

$221.29

GOOGL

Alphabet Inc.

$368.03

Rewards

FDS

★FactSet Research Systems Inc. has maintained ROIC above 10% for 4 consecutive years, suggesting solid business economics.
★FactSet Research Systems Inc. scores 95/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with revenue predictability as the strongest competitive dimension.
★Return on equity has consistently exceeded 20% over 4 years, indicating efficient use of shareholder capital.

GOOGL

★Alphabet Inc. has maintained ROIC above 15% for 4 consecutive years, indicating a durable competitive advantage.
★Gross margin of 60.4% indicates strong pricing power — typical of businesses with significant intellectual property or brand strength.
★Alphabet Inc. scores 89/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with roic consistency as the strongest competitive dimension.

Risks

FDS

⚠FCF yield of 7.3% suggests reasonable valuation assuming continued moderate growth.

GOOGL

⚠FCF yield of 1.6% is below 3%, meaning the market is pricing in substantial future growth to justify the current price.

Key Valuation Metrics

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FDS

GOOGL

Valuation

$590.25M

Free Cash Flow

$73.27B

7.32%

FCF Yield

1.63%

14.24

Trailing P/E

28.09

11.41

Forward P/E

25.39

Quality & Moat

15.35%

ROIC

20.98%

28.08%

ROE

38.88%

51.94%

Gross Margin

60.37%

1.13

PEG Ratio

1.47

Balance Sheet Safety

0.60

Net Debt / Equity

Net cash

N/A

Interest Coverage

N/A

1.39

Net Debt / EBITDA

-0.19

1.95%

Dividend Yield

0.24%

FDS: 5Ties: 1GOOGL: 6

FDSGOOGL

Historical Fundamentals

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FDS

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.

GOOGL

$1 Retained Earnings Test

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FDS

$-3.76

created per $1 retained over 3 years

Market Cap Declined

Σ Retained

$1.15B

Δ Market Cap

$-4.34B

Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer

GOOGL

$9.18

created per $1 retained over 3 years

Exceptional Value Creator

Σ Retained

$288.67B

Δ Market Cap

+$2.65T

Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer

Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) Analysis

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FDS

45.8% Margin of Safety

Price is 45.8% below estimated fair value

Current Price: $221.29

Strongly undervalued

Undervalued

Fairly valued

Overvalued

Strongly overvalued

Fair Value: $407.93

Strongly undervalued

Undervalued

Fairly valued

Overvalued

Strongly overvalued

GOOGL

289.6% Overvalued

Price is 289.6% above estimated fair value

Current Price: $368.03

Strongly undervalued

Strongly overvalued

Fair Value: $94.46

Strongly undervalued

Undervalued

Fairly valued

Overvalued

Strongly overvalued

Reverse DCF — Market-Implied Growth

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FDS

What growth rate is the market pricing in at $221?

+2.6%

Market-Implied Owner Earnings Growth

Standard FCF implies +4.5%

The market implies +2.6% Owner Earnings growth, below historical trends — potential opportunity.

Standard FCF implies a more demanding +4.5%, reflecting heavy growth investment expected to generate future returns.

GOOGL

What growth rate is the market pricing in at $368?

+22.9%

Market-Implied FCF Growth Rate

Market pricing in significantly higher growth than history — aggressive.

Economic Moat Score

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FDS

95/100

Wide Moat

70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

Wide moat with strength across all dimensions. Revenue Predictability is the standout factor.

Composite score measuring competitive advantage durability across four dimensions: returns above cost of capital, pricing power stability, revenue predictability, and capital efficiency. Based on 4 years of fundamental data.

GOOGL

89/100

Wide Moat

70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

Wide moat driven primarily by roic consistency. Reinvestment Efficiency is the area most vulnerable to competitive pressure.

Forensic Accounting

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FDS

-2.40

Unlikely Manipulator

Above -1.78 = likely manipulator · -2.22 to -1.78 = grey zone

M-Score Trend

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.

GOOGL

-2.92

Unlikely Manipulator

Above -1.78 = likely manipulator · -2.22 to -1.78 = grey zone

M-Score Trend

Ownership Breakdown

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FDS

Insiders 0.4%Institutions 106.9%

No. of Institutional Holders1,002

High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders — a key signal in Buffett-style analysis. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.

GOOGL

Insiders 1.2%Institutions 80.8%Retail & Other 18.1%

No. of Institutional Holders7,263

High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.

Insider Buying Activity

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FDS

Buys (3M)

Buys (12M)

Total value (12M): $328,394

SKOKO GORAN

Officer

$126,465

@ $252.93 · 2025-11-06

SHAN HELEN L

Chief Financial Officer

$101,928

@ $275.48 · 2025-10-06

MCLOUGHLIN CHRISTOPHER

Officer

$100,001

@ $296.74 · 2025-09-23

Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises

GOOGL

Buys (3M)

Buys (12M)

No open market insider purchases found.

Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises

Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises.

Insider Selling Activity

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FDS

Sells (3M)

Sells (12M)

Total value (12M): $8.68M

FRANK MALCOLM

Director

$760,547

@ $295.70 · 2026-01-12

SIEGEL LAURIE A

Director

$761,944

@ $296.25 · 2026-01-08

EILAM BARAK

Director

$283.00

@ $283.00 · 2025-10-03

MCGONIGLE JAMES J. III

Director

$1.32M

@ $451.39 · 2025-07-14

MOSKOFF GREGORY T

Officer

$1.11M

@ $442.60 · 2025-07-09

ELLIS CHRISTOPHER R

Officer

$3.40M

@ $446.84 · 2025-07-08

SNOW FREDERICK PHILIP

Chief Executive Officer

$1.34M

@ $445.12 · 2025-07-01

SNOW FREDERICK PHILIP

Chief Executive Officer

$1.36M

@ $454.58 · 2025-06-02

SNOW FREDERICK PHILIP

Chief Executive Officer

$1.29M

@ $431.09 · 2025-05-01

SNOW FREDERICK PHILIP

Chief Executive Officer

$1.36M

@ $454.86 · 2025-04-01

MOSKOFF GREGORY T

Officer

$157,604

@ $434.17 · 2025-03-24

STEPP KATHERINE M

Chief Technology Officer

$733,561

@ $425.25 · 2025-03-21

SNOW FREDERICK PHILIP

Chief Executive Officer

$1.39M

@ $464.79 · 2025-03-03

SNOW FREDERICK PHILIP

Chief Executive Officer

$1.41M

@ $469.14 · 2025-02-03

SNOW FREDERICK PHILIP

Chief Executive Officer

$1.45M

@ $484.33 · 2025-01-02

SNOW FREDERICK PHILIP

Chief Executive Officer

$1.47M

@ $489.18 · 2024-12-02

ROBIE ROBERT J

Officer

$1.94M

@ $484.96 · 2024-11-12

COSTIGAN JOHN

Officer

$780,174

@ $481.00 · 2024-11-11

SNOW FREDERICK PHILIP

Chief Executive Officer

$1.36M

@ $453.68 · 2024-11-01

SNOW FREDERICK PHILIP

Chief Executive Officer

$1.37M

@ $455.09 · 2024-10-01

FRANK MALCOLM

Director

$1.30M

@ $457.85 · 2024-09-26

SIEGEL LAURIE A

Director

$615,277

@ $459.85 · 2024-09-26

MCGONIGLE JAMES J. III

Director

$2.47M

@ $456.83 · 2024-09-26

ELLIS CHRISTOPHER R

Officer

$6.36M

@ $456.15 · 2024-09-26

SNOW FREDERICK PHILIP

Chief Executive Officer

$1.25M

@ $416.59 · 2024-09-03

HARDING CATRINA

Officer

$184,806

@ $407.96 · 2024-08-05

SNOW FREDERICK PHILIP

Chief Executive Officer

$1.24M

@ $412.75 · 2024-08-01

SNOW FREDERICK PHILIP

Chief Executive Officer

$1.23M

@ $408.98 · 2024-07-01

ABRAMS ROBIN ANN

Director

$999,186

@ $420.71 · 2024-06-25

STEPP KATHERINE M

Chief Technology Officer

$452,840

@ $428.42 · 2024-06-24

Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives

GOOGL

Sells (3M)

Sells (12M)

No open market insider sales found.

Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives

Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives.

🎭 Mr. Market's Mood

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FDS

😨Fear(23/100)

"Market is pessimistic — investigate whether fears are temporary or structural"

Composite sentiment score based on 6 market signals. Inspired by Buffett's "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.

GOOGL

😐Neutral(58/100)

"Market is pricing this stock without strong emotion in either direction"

Composite sentiment score based on market signals. Inspired by Buffett’s "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.

⚖️ Buffett Signal

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FDS

⚪Awaiting DCF Data

The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.

DCF Margin of Safety: N/AMr. Market's Mood: Fear (23)

GOOGL

⚪Awaiting DCF Data

The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.

DCF Margin of Safety: N/AMr. Market's Mood: Neutral (58)

View FDS Full Analysis View GOOGL Full Analysis

Frequently Asked Questions: FDS vs GOOGL

Is FactSet Research Systems Inc. or Alphabet Inc. more undervalued in 2026?▼

Based on our discounted cash flow model, FDS trades at a 45.8% margin of safety (intrinsic value $408 vs. price $221), compared to GOOGL's -289.6% margin of safety (intrinsic $94 vs. $368).

Which stock has a wider economic moat, FactSet Research Systems Inc. or Alphabet Inc.?▼

FDS scores 95/100 (Wide moat), while GOOGL scores 89/100 (Wide moat). The moat score measures competitive advantage durability across ROIC consistency, margin stability, revenue predictability, and reinvestment efficiency.

Is Alphabet Inc. in financial distress?▼

GOOGL's Altman Z-Score of 2.4 places it in the Grey zone, signaling elevated bankruptcy risk. FDS scores 5.0 (Safe zone). The Altman Z-Score is a five-factor model that predicts insolvency within two years; scores below 1.81 indicate significant distress.

Which company has better free cash flow, FactSet Research Systems Inc. or Alphabet Inc.?▼

FactSet Research Systems Inc. (FDS) generates a 7.3% free cash flow yield, compared to Alphabet Inc.'s 1.6%. A higher FCF yield means the business converts more of its market value into cash that can be returned to shareholders or reinvested.

Which stock has higher return on invested capital, FactSet Research Systems Inc. or Alphabet Inc.?▼

GOOGL earns 21.0% ROIC versus FDS's 15.3%. A higher ROIC means the company generates more profit per dollar of capital employed, a hallmark of durable competitive advantage in Buffett-style analysis.

Which dividend is safer, FactSet Research Systems Inc.'s or Alphabet Inc.'s?▼

FDS's dividend earns a safety score of 94/100 (Very Safe), compared to GOOGL's 88/100 (Very Safe). FDS has raised its dividend for 3 consecutive years.