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FICOFair Isaac CorporationBuy Wait6.5·$1284.99+1.11%
FICO · Why this verdict

Why Fair Isaac (FICO) is rated BUY WAIT

Updated

Model-generated analysis — not investment advice. Not a registered investment advisor. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

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Methodology · Editorial policy & full disclaimer

VerdictBUY WAIT
Overall score6.5/10
ConfidenceMEDIUM
MacroNEUTRAL

Thesis pillars

Revenue is growing 39% year over year while the stock trades at a PEG ratio of 0.79, implying the market is pricing in significant growth deceleration — an asymmetry that favors patient buyers if the growth rate holds.

Stable
Valuation breakdown
Expectation
Revenue growth stays above 25% year over year for the next two fiscal quarters without a downward reset in guidance.

CounterThe forward P/E at 21.7x is elevated on a headline basis, and any deceleration from 39% would remove the growth-at-a-discount argument and could trigger multiple compression.

Banking clients represent 92% of revenue and the top three credit bureaus account for 51% — concentrating revenue risk in a narrow set of counterparties whose collective influence over contract terms and renewal cycles is substantial.

Stable
Bear case
Expectation
Revenue concentration in the top three bureau customers remains below 60% over the next 12 months as non-bureau revenue segments grow faster than the core.

CounterDeep integration into credit decisioning at major financial institutions creates high switching costs that reinforce these relationships; the same concentration that creates contractual risk also provides durable revenue visibility.

The business achieves 34% net margins, a Rule of 40 score of 71, and a perfect Piotroski F-Score of 9 out of 9 — a combination that places it among the top-ranked software franchises on operational excellence and financial health.

Stable
Quality breakdown
Expectation
Net margins hold above 30% and the Rule of 40 remains above 60 across the next four fiscal quarters.

CounterThe three major credit bureaus account for 51% of revenue, meaning a pricing dispute or contract renegotiation with any one of them could rapidly compress margins with limited ability to diversify away.

The company has beaten EPS estimates in all four of the past four quarters — most recently by approximately 14% — with an average upside surprise of 8.5%, reflecting a consistent pattern of under-promising and over-delivering.

Stable
Earnings
Expectation
Earnings beat streak extends to six consecutive quarters, with positive upward revisions to forward estimates following each print.

CounterWith implied volatility at 84%, the options market is pricing substantial binary risk around each earnings event; a miss after four consecutive beats would likely be severely penalized.

The stock is below its 200-day moving average with the average slope declining approximately 2.5% over the past 30 days, volume is distributing on a falling on-balance basis, and a death cross is in place — a technical configuration that suggests continued near-term weakness.

Stable
Momentum breakdown
Expectation
For this headwind to clear, the stock must recross above its 200-day moving average on expanding volume and sustain the breakout for at least four consecutive weeks.

CounterWith roughly 16% upside to the analyst price target and a risk/reward approaching 4-to-1 in the buyer's favor, current levels may represent an attractive entry for investors who can tolerate near-term technical weakness while waiting for fundamentals to reassert.

TrendMatrix Research · core thesis

Engine thesis — one sentence

At a PEG of 0.79 with 39% revenue growth and a quality profile in the top tier of software companies, the fundamental case is compelling — but a confirmed price downtrend and a death cross in place argue for waiting on technical confirmation before entering.

Falsifiable statement — pillar-level invalidators below. Engine-derived; not personalized advice.

Per-dimension breakdown

Value

4.5/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
P/E3.0
P/S1.3
EV/EBITDA0.0
Fwd P/E5.5
PEG7.9
Analyst target6.0
  • Forward P/E: 23.3x
  • PEG: 0.85

Quality

9.0/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
ROA10.0
Gross margin10.0
Op margin10.0
Net margin10.0
Current ratio7.7
FCF quality6.8
Moat7.0
Rule of 409.5
Piotroski F10.0
  • Strong margins: 34%
  • Rule of 40: 71 (elite)
  • Strong Piotroski F-Score: 9/9
  • High-quality business

Growth

10.0/10data confidence 67%
ComponentSub-score
Rev growth10.0
EPS growth10.0
  • Strong growth: 39% YoY

Momentum

5.9/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
RSI3.3
MACD10.0
OBV10.0
MA position6.0
Volume0.2
  • Volume accumulation (rising OBV)
  • Below 200-MA, MA slope -2.5%/30d — confirmed downtrend

Sentiment

6.7/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
LLM sentiment5.0
Analyst rating7.5
Price target7.6

Insider

5.1/10data confidence 50%
ComponentSub-score
materiality5.0
holder change5.2
  • No net insider activity — $0 (0.000% of mkt cap)

Peer rank

6.3/10data confidence 80%
ComponentSub-score
value rank2.0
quality rank9.1
growth rank9.3
  • Best-in-class margins
  • Industry growth leader

Technical

1.1/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
bollinger0.0
support resistance0.4
52w position2.9

Risk (lower is worse)

4.3/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
short interest4.8
days to cover4.3
volatility3.2
put call6.6
implied vol2.6
max pain risk3.0
beta5.8
  • High IV: 64%
  • Above max pain $940
  • Concentration risks: 3 HIGH, 1 MED (10-K Item 1A — sized via position_sizing, validated via buy_confidence)

Catalyst

6.3/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
erm5.0
earnings history10.0
earnings timing5.0
surprise avg6.7
news activity5.0
  • Perfect beat streak: 4Q

How the verdict was assembled

Engine trigger

Growth is cheap relative to earnings, but the technical setup has not yet produced a breakout above resistance (PEG 0.85, quality 9.0/10, growth 10.0/10).

Engine technical detail
verdict_path: L4:PATH_C2_GARP_WAIT|ENTRY_STICKY:PRIOR_STILL_VIABLE
Passed (8)
  • MOMENTUM:5.9>=5.5
  • INSIDER:OK
  • DEATH_CROSS:QUALITY_MOMENTUM_EXEMPT
  • 8K:CLEAN
  • NEWS_EVENTS:NONE_RECENT
  • EARNINGS_PROXIMITY:24d clear
  • SEMI_CYCLE_PEAK:CLEAR
  • MATERIALS_CYCLE_PEAK:CLEAR
Failed (1)
  • ASYMMETRY:0.5<1.5@spot
Warning (1)
  • DEATH_CROSS:quality=9.0>=7.5+momentum=5.9>=5.0 exempted
Reward-to-Risk
0.47
Upside
+7.0%
Downside
15.0%
Sizing output
STARTER

SetupRecovery Death cross but MACD improving, RSI 67

EdgeCatalyst-Driven Earnings in 24d with 4/4 beat streak

SuitabilityModerate Balanced profile

Investment implication

The C-path quality+growth combination triggered the STRONG_BUY_WAIT verdict: quality 9.0 and growth 10.0 both clear their thresholds, with asymmetric R:R of 0.47 supporting the read.

The strongest dimensions are Growth at 10.0, Quality at 9.0, and Sentiment at 6.7; the weakest are Technical at 1.1, Risk (lower is worse) at 4.3, and Value at 4.5. The V9 engine flagged 1 failed gate with 1 warning, producing an asymmetric reward-to-risk of 0.47 and an engine sizing output of STARTER.

What would invalidate the thesis

Falsifying conditions — when triggered, the corresponding pillar's thesis is invalidated.

  • P1Elite Software Quality Franchise

    Trip ifGross margin compresses below 28% for 2 consecutive fiscal quarters.

  • P2Hypergrowth At Discount To Growth

    Trip ifRevenue growth falls below 20% year over year for 2 consecutive quarters.

  • P3Consistent Earnings Execution

    Trip ifEPS surprise falls below 0% for 2 consecutive quarters.

  • P4Confirmed Price Downtrend

    Trip ifPrice closes above the 200-day moving average on rising volume for 4 consecutive weeks.

  • P5Customer Concentration Revenue Risk

    Trip ifRevenue from top three credit bureau customers exceeds 60% of total annual revenue.

Engine reasoning is mechanically derived from pipeline gate outputs. See decision view.

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