Fair Isaac stock holds above $1,170 as new institutional buying follows strong Q3 earnings
Published on 08/21/2026 at 11:20 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Fair Isaac Corp. (ISIN US3032501047), known for its FICO credit scoring and decisioning software, is trading well above the $1,100 mark in late August 2026 after a strong Q3 FY26 earnings beat and a series of new institutional investments highlighted in recent filings as of August 21, 2026.
Institutional interest and latest price action
Recent institutional activity shows new positions being taken in Fair Isaac Corp., including one filing that disclosed a $14.55 million investment in the company, underlining continued confidence from professional investors in the stock’s long-term story. A separate filing detailed another new institutional position in Fair Isaac shares, reinforcing the picture of active portfolio accumulation in August 2026.
On the market side, one recent overview of Fair Isaac’s share performance reported that the stock opened at $1,147.03 in the latest session referenced on August 21, 2026, placing the shares comfortably above the four-digit level and reflecting the company’s sizable market capitalization in the technology and analytics space. Another performance snapshot showed Fair Isaac opening at $1,163.52 and trading in a range from $1,147.07 to $1,178.65 over a recent session, with a closing price of $1,175.70 on August 20, 2026, representing a 1.21% gain for that day.
That same historical price data indicates that Fair Isaac’s one-year trading span runs from a low of $870.01 to a high of $1,998.01, illustrating a wide range of movement for the shares over the past 12 months and giving investors a sense of both the upside that has been achieved and the volatility that has accompanied it.
Q3 FY26 earnings beat and guidance
The latest quarter reported by Fair Isaac Corp. is Q3 of its fiscal 2026, which falls well inside the current freshness window for fundamentals relative to August 21, 2026. In that quarter, detailed earnings data show that Fair Isaac generated $674.19 million in revenue in Q3 FY26, with earnings of $237.17 million and a profit margin of 35.18%, underscoring a highly profitable business model. Elsewhere in the same coverage, Fair Isaac’s adjusted earnings per share were stated at $12.18 for the quarter, exceeding a consensus estimate of $11.76 by $0.42, and indicating a meaningful earnings beat versus expectations.
The revenue performance in that Q3 FY26 period was accompanied by a robust growth rate, with the business posting a 25.7% year-over-year increase in quarterly revenue compared with the same quarter of the prior fiscal year. In the earlier period, Fair Isaac had reported $8.57 in earnings per share, so the shift to $12.18 in the latest quarter represents substantial earnings growth on a per-share basis over a one-year horizon.
Beyond the quarter, outlook figures show that Fair Isaac has set its fiscal 2026 guidance for earnings per share at 42.430, signposting management’s expectations for full-year profitability and providing a benchmark for both investors and analysts as they evaluate valuation and growth prospects. An overview of forward estimates also indicated that research coverage expects Fair Isaac to post 37.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year, suggesting upside potential versus that average forecast if the company delivers at or above its stated guidance.
Consensus data compiled across analyst coverage classify Fair Isaac’s stock with a “Moderate Buy” rating and an average target price of $1,553.69, which sits notably above recent trading levels around $1,175.70 to $1,190, implying that current prices are still below the central cluster of published targets. That difference between the average target and the latest price provides a quantified valuation comparison that many investors watch closely when weighing risk and reward.
Analyst reactions and valuation context
Within the broader analyst landscape, individual rating actions around early August 2026 include at least one large investment bank maintaining a neutral stance on Fair Isaac while trimming its price target, a move that reflects ongoing debates around valuation after a strong multi-year rally. Even with such cautious adjustments, the overall consensus rating profile remains on the positive side, consistent with the Moderate Buy aggregate view described above.
For investors, the most striking number in the current context is the spread between Fair Isaac’s recent closing price of $1,175.70 on August 20, 2026 and its one-year high of $1,998.01, a gap of $822.31 that highlights how far the stock trades below the peak level reached within the last 12 months. That distance from the high can be seen as both a reminder of past exuberance and a measure of potential recovery room if fundamentals continue to deliver and market sentiment turns more favorable.
At the same time, the move from the one-year low of $870.01 to the latest closing price around $1,175.70 amounts to a gain of $305.69, underlining the substantial appreciation that shareholders have already experienced over the year. This combination of large upside from the lows and significant downside from the highs emphasizes that Fair Isaac’s stock has been volatile, even as the underlying business has delivered steady revenue growth and margin strength.
The profit margin of 35.18% reported for Q3 FY26, together with the $237.17 million in quarterly earnings, situates Fair Isaac among highly profitable technology and analytics companies, giving it room to reinvest in product development and shareholder returns. The year-over-year revenue growth of 25.7% stands out in the broader software and fintech segment, where double-digit expansion at this scale is still relatively noteworthy.
Representative FICO product and business model
Fair Isaac Corp. built its reputation on the FICO Score, a widely used consumer credit scoring system that helps lenders assess borrowers’ creditworthiness using standardized criteria and predictive models. The FICO Score is integrated into lending workflows across credit cards, auto loans, mortgages, and personal loans, forming a core part of decision-making in the US and in many other markets where FICO is licensed.
Beyond the consumer credit score, Fair Isaac offers a broader suite of decision management and analytics products, including platforms that help banks and financial institutions optimize their originations, collections, fraud detection, and marketing campaigns using AI-driven models and historical data. These solutions often run as software-as-a-service, providing recurring revenue and deep integration with clients’ core systems, which in turn supports the strong margins visible in the latest quarterly results.
For retail investors, the importance of these products lies in their contribution to Fair Isaac’s recurring revenue base and pricing power, both of which feed directly into the earnings per share figure of $12.18 in Q3 FY26 and the full-year guidance of 42.430 EPS for fiscal 2026. As financial institutions continue to rely on FICO Scores and related decisioning tools, Fair Isaac’s business model can benefit from long-term contracts, usage-based fees, and expansion into new data sets and geographies.
Stock level and investor takeaway
Using the recent historical quote data as a guide, Fair Isaac stock most recently closed at $1,175.70 on August 20, 2026, with an intraday range between $1,147.07 and $1,178.65 and an opening level of $1,163.52 that day, all in USD on its primary listing in New York. That closing price sits below the consensus target of $1,553.69 but well above the one-year low of $870.01, framing the shares in the middle portion of their 12-month range and reflecting both the solid Q3 FY26 performance and the market’s ongoing debate over valuation.
Read more
Further details on Fair Isaac Corp.’s earnings profile and analyst expectations can be found in recent market data pages and institutional filing summaries that discuss the Q3 FY26 beat, the 25.7% revenue growth rate, and the clustering of price targets around $1,553.69.
FICO credit scoring platform
Among Fair Isaac’s offerings, the FICO Score credit scoring platform is the most recognizable product for consumers, and it remains central to how lenders evaluate credit risk and set borrowing terms for millions of individuals.
Fair Isaac stock and recent performance
Fair Isaac stock, listed in the US and quoted in USD, last closed at $1,175.70 as of August 20, 2026, reflecting a 1.21% gain for that session and positioning the shares well above their one-year low, though still markedly below the $1,998.01 high recorded within the past year.
Fact box
Company: Fair Isaac Corp.
ISIN: US3032501047
Ticker: FICO
Exchange: New York Stock Exchange
Price (as of August 20, 2026, 4:00 p.m. ET): $1,175.70 USD
Market cap: Data based on recent filings and market prices indicates a multi-billion-dollar valuation for Fair Isaac Corp., supported by Q3 FY26 earnings of $237.17 million and a profit margin of 35.18%.
Sector / Industry: Technology - software and analytics for financial services
Index membership: The company is commonly associated with major US equity benchmarks through its large-cap status and listing on a primary US exchange.
