Investor Steve Eisman Shorts Fair Isaac Corp.
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: 1 hour ago
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Should l Buy FICO?
Source: stocktwits
- Short Position Disclosure: Investor Steve Eisman revealed during a CNBC interview that he has taken a short position in credit-scoring firm Fair Isaac Corp. (FICO), indicating his pessimistic outlook on the company's future performance.
- Price Hikes Spark Discontent: Eisman criticized FICO for raising credit check fees by 500% over many years, a move that has angered participants in the lending industry and could impact FICO's market competitiveness.
- Stock Price Reaction: Following Eisman's remarks, FICO's shares fell nearly 6% in Thursday morning trading, reflecting market concerns about the company's future profitability.
- Competitive Pressure: Eisman's comments highlight the pricing disparity between FICO and its competitor VantageScore, potentially prompting investors to reassess FICO's position and sustainability in the credit scoring market.
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Analyst Views on FICO
Wall Street analysts forecast FICO stock price to rise
9 Analyst Rating
8 Buy
1 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 1043.570
Low
1700
Averages
2126
High
2500
Current: 1043.570
Low
1700
Averages
2126
High
2500
About FICO
Fair Isaac Corporation is an analytics software company. The Scores segment includes business-to-business (B2B) scoring solutions and services which give its clients access to predictive credit and other scores that can be easily integrated into their transaction streams and decision-making processes. This segment also includes its business-to-consumer (B2C) scoring solutions, including its myFICO.com subscription offerings. Its Software segment includes pre-configured analytic and decision management solutions designed for a specific type of business need or process-such as account origination, customer management, customer engagement, fraud detection and marketing-as well as associated professional services. This segment also includes FICO Platform, a modular software offering designed to support advanced analytic and decision use cases, as well as stand-alone analytic and decisioning software that can be configured by its customers to address a wide variety of business use cases.
About the author

Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
- Significant Revenue Growth: FICO reported revenues of $692 million for Q2, a 39% increase from $499 million in the prior year, demonstrating strong performance in the global analytics software market and reinforcing its market leadership.
- Substantial Net Income Increase: The net income for the quarter reached $264.5 million, translating to $11.14 per share, which is a 62% and 69% increase compared to $162.6 million and $6.59 per share in the same period last year, reflecting a significant enhancement in profitability.
- Improved Free Cash Flow: The company generated free cash flow of $214.3 million this quarter, up from $65.5 million in the prior year, indicating ongoing optimization in operational efficiency and cash management, which supports future investments and expansion.
- Upgraded Full-Year Guidance: FICO raised its fiscal 2026 revenue guidance from $2.35 billion to $2.45 billion and net income guidance from $795 million to $825 million, showcasing management's confidence in future growth and a positive market outlook.
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- Short Position Disclosure: Investor Steve Eisman revealed during a CNBC interview that he has taken a short position in credit-scoring firm Fair Isaac Corp. (FICO), indicating his pessimistic outlook on the company's future performance.
- Price Hikes Spark Discontent: Eisman criticized FICO for raising credit check fees by 500% over many years, a move that has angered participants in the lending industry and could impact FICO's market competitiveness.
- Stock Price Reaction: Following Eisman's remarks, FICO's shares fell nearly 6% in Thursday morning trading, reflecting market concerns about the company's future profitability.
- Competitive Pressure: Eisman's comments highlight the pricing disparity between FICO and its competitor VantageScore, potentially prompting investors to reassess FICO's position and sustainability in the credit scoring market.
See More
- Market Environment Analysis: Steve Eisman highlights that the current market conditions are strikingly similar to last year, characterized by resilient credit conditions, heavy spending on artificial intelligence, and a bifurcated 'K-shaped' economy, indicating underlying market fragility and uncertainty.
- FICO Short Strategy: Eisman openly states he is short on FICO, arguing that the company's 500% price increase over many years has alienated customers, allowing competitors like VantageScore to gain traction and pose a threat to FICO's market share.
- Competitor Advantage: He points out that lenders could pay around $2,000 to FICO for every 100 mortgage applications, while using VantageScore costs approximately $99, showcasing VantageScore's increasing competitiveness in the market.
- Stock Price Reaction: Following Eisman's announcement of his short position, FICO's shares fell 3.5% on Thursday, and the stock has declined nearly 40% so far in 2026, reflecting market concerns about its future prospects.
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- Oil Price Surge Impacts Market: WTI crude oil prices surged over 6% on Wednesday to a three-week high due to the US maintaining its naval blockade of Iran, raising inflation expectations and negatively impacting the stock market.
- Fed Policy Influence: The Federal Reserve kept the federal funds rate unchanged at 3.50% to 3.75% during its latest meeting, despite dissent from four members against easing bias, reflecting concerns over economic uncertainty that may dampen investor confidence.
- Strong Tech Stock Performance: The Nasdaq 100 index rose 0.58%, driven by strong earnings from NXP Semiconductors and Seagate Technology, with shares up 25% and over 10% respectively, indicating robust demand for AI infrastructure.
- Housing Data Exceeds Expectations: US March housing starts unexpectedly rose 10.8% to 1.502 million, significantly surpassing the expected decline to 1.380 million, demonstrating resilience in the housing market that could provide support for stocks.
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- Oil Price Surge Impacts Market: WTI crude oil prices rose over 5% to a two-week high as the US maintains its naval blockade of Iran, leading to increased inflation expectations that negatively affect the stock market.
- Strong Tech Stock Performance: The Nasdaq 100 index increased by 0.09%, primarily driven by strong earnings from NXP Semiconductors and Seagate Technology, both up over 14%, indicating robust demand for AI infrastructure.
- Housing Data Exceeds Expectations: US March housing starts unexpectedly rose by 10.8% to 1.502 million, significantly surpassing the market expectation of 1.380 million, demonstrating resilience in the construction sector that may support the stock market.
- Fed Policy Remains Unchanged: The Federal Reserve decided to keep monetary policy unchanged at the FOMC meeting despite a record number of dissenting votes, with markets anticipating future policy will continue to focus on oil prices and inflation dynamics.
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