Profit jumps for Fair Isaac

Article Excerpt

FAIR ISAAC CORP. $151.90 (New York symbol FICO; TSINetwork Rating: Average) (415- 472-2211; www.fairisaac.com; Shares outstanding: 30.6 million; Market cap: $4.6 billion; No dividends paid) makes FICO Scores. It’s the dominant software program used by U.S. businesses to evaluate customer creditworthiness. Fair Isaac also profits by selling programs that help credit-card issuers control fraud and analyze the spending patterns of cardholders. For the fiscal fourth quarter, ended September 30, 2017, revenue rose 7.4%, to $253.2 million from $235.8 million a year earlier. The company earned $57.2 million, or $1.65 a share, in that three-month period. That’s up 27.3% from $41.4 million, or $1.28, a year earlier. Fair Isaac expects to earn $5.32 a share in 2018. The stock trades at a high 28.6 times that forecast. Fair Isaac is a hold. hold…