Fair Isaac’s Still a Leader

Article Excerpt

FAIR ISAAC CORPORATION $23.69 (New York symbol FIC; SI Rating: Average) (415- 472-2211; www.fairisaac.com; Shares outstanding: 49.3 million; Market cap: $1.2 billion) has cut its profit forecast for 2008 to $1.80 to $1.90 a share, from $2 a share previously. Fair Isaac’s main business is its FICO software, which lets creditors use information about a customer to calculate a credit score. The company’s sales growth could slow along with weaker U.S. housing markets. 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…