FICO opts for buybacks

Article Excerpt

FAIR ISAAC CORP. $134.53 (New York symbol FICO; TSINetwork Rating: Average) (415-4722211; www.fairisaac.com; Shares outstanding: 31.0 million; Market cap: $4.2 billion; Dividend yield: 0.1%) will now discontinue its regular cash dividends in favour of using excess cash flow for share repurchases. Dividends are a great way for investors to enhance their long-term returns. However, Fair Isaac shares now yield just 0.06%. As well, in some ways buybacks (or share repurchases) are almost as good as dividends. That’s because stock repurchases raise a company’s earnings per share. In addition, when the company joins investors in buying its own stock, the higher demand pushes up the price of the stock. Fair Isaac Corp. is still a hold. hold…