Principal Financial Group Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in Fair Isaac Corporation $FICO

Key Points

• Principal Financial Group increased its stake in Fair Isaac by 13.4% in Q4 to 458,085 shares (1.93% of the company) valued at about $774.52 million.
• Fair Isaac beat quarterly estimates with $12.50 EPS (vs. $11.03 expected) and $691.7M revenue (+38.7% YoY), set FY2026 guidance at 40.450 EPS and authorized a $1.5 billion share buyback (up to 5.2% of shares).
• Despite recent price-target cuts by some firms, the stock retains a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average target of about $1,655.07.

Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Fair Isaac Corporation (NYSE:FICO - Free Report) by 13.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 458,085 shares of the technology company's stock after buying an additional 53,980 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 1.93% of Fair Isaac worth $774,518,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in Fair Isaac by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,465 shares of the technology company's stock worth $2,477,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC raised its position in Fair Isaac by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC now owns 172 shares of the technology company's stock worth $291,000 after buying an additional 8 shares during the last quarter. Bellecapital International Ltd. raised its position in Fair Isaac by 16.1% in the 4th quarter. Bellecapital International Ltd. now owns 518 shares of the technology company's stock worth $876,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. raised its position in Fair Isaac by 10.0% in the 4th quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. now owns 110 shares of the technology company's stock worth $186,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its position in Fair Isaac by 25.6% in the 4th quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 774 shares of the technology company's stock worth $1,308,000 after buying an additional 158 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.75% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FICO has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on Fair Isaac from $1,770.00 to $1,528.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Fair Isaac from $2,400.00 to $1,950.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Fair Isaac from $1,325.00 to $1,225.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Mizuho started coverage on shares of Fair Isaac in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $1,416.00 price target for the company. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $1,549.00 price target on shares of Fair Isaac in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $1,655.07.

Fair Isaac Stock Up 2.4%

NYSE FICO opened at $1,059.91 on Tuesday. Fair Isaac Corporation has a 52 week low of $870.01 and a 52 week high of $2,217.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.57, a PEG ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $1,144.59 and a 200-day moving average price of $1,461.49.

Fair Isaac (NYSE:FICO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The technology company reported $12.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $11.03 by $1.47. The company had revenue of $691.68 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $630.21 million. Fair Isaac had a negative return on equity of 41.04% and a net margin of 33.67%.The firm's revenue was up 38.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $7.81 EPS. Fair Isaac has set its FY 2026 guidance at 40.450-40.450 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Fair Isaac Corporation will post 37.99 EPS for the current year.

Fair Isaac declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Wednesday, February 25th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the technology company to purchase up to 5.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Joanna Rees sold 358 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,360.00, for a total transaction of $486,880.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 11,204 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,237,440. The trade was a 3.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Eva Manolis sold 520 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,227.63, for a total value of $638,367.60. Following the transaction, the director owned 344 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $422,304.72. This trade represents a 60.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 3.02% of the company's stock.

Fair Isaac Profile

Fair Isaac Corporation, commonly known as FICO, is a data analytics and software company best known for its FICO Score, a widely used credit-scoring system that helps lenders assess consumer credit risk. Founded in 1956 by Bill Fair and Earl Isaac, the company has evolved from its origins in statistical credit scoring to a broader focus on predictive analytics, decision management and artificial intelligence-driven solutions for financial services and other industries. FICO is headquartered in San Jose, California, and operates globally, serving clients across North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Asia-Pacific region.

FICO's product portfolio centers on analytics and decisioning technologies.

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