Fair, Isaac Shares Soared: What You Need to Know

Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

What: Shares of credit tracker Fair, Isaac (NAS: FICO) rose more than 26% on 4.5 times the average daily trading volume after projecting much better than expected fiscal 2012 earnings.

So what: Fourth-quarter results were mixed. Revenue improved 3% to $160.2 million, below estimates, while earnings grew 68% to $0.64 a share, three pennies better than what analysts had been calling for.

Now what: But it was next year's projections that seems to have grabbed the attention of Big Money investors. Fair, Isaac told investors to expect $2.45 to $2.55 in per-share profits, a minimum 16% premium to Wall Street's average forecast. Does the increased optimism have you thinking of buying shares of Fair, Isaac? Why or why not? Please weigh in using the comments box below.

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At the time thisarticle was published Fool contributorTim Beyersis a member of theMotley Fool Rule Breakersstock-picking team. He didn't own shares in any of the companies mentioned in this article at the time of publication. Check out Tim'sportfolio holdingsandFoolish writings, or connect with him onGoogle+or Twitter, where he goes by@milehighfool. You can also get his insightsdelivered directly to your RSS reader.Try any of our Foolish newsletter servicesfree for 30 days. We Fools don't all hold the same opinions, but we all believe thatconsidering a diverse range of insightsmakes us better investors. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy.

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