Fair Isaac Makes Cuts

Article Excerpt

FAIR ISAAC CORPORATION $25.25 (New York symbol FIC; SI Rating: Average) (415- 472-2211; www.fairisaac.com; Shares outstanding: 48.9 million; Market cap: $1.2 billion) is implementing a number of restructuring measures to boost profits. The company will sell more than a dozen non-strategic businesses. These include its government research, advertising and veterinary diagnostics businesses. Fair Isaac will also cut 420 jobs (out of 2,824 employees) and consolidate facilities. In total, Fair Isaac aims to reduce annual costs by about $100 million through the restructuring. The U.S. subprime mortgage crisis has hurt the banks and other financial institutions that are Fair Isaac’s major customers. These customers may cut back on software spending in the near term. However, over the longer term, the subprime crisis will likely increase demand for Fair Isaac’s reliable credit-scoring software. Fair Isaac is still a buy. buy…