FICO vs VRSK: Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?

Same yardstick, side by side (as of October 2026). Valuation lined up like this is most meaningful for two names in the same corner of the market, which these are. Figures are approximate; verify before investing.

Reading it: FICO is the cheaper of the two on forward earnings, but cheaper is not the same as better. Pair the valuation with growth (how far the forward P/E sits below the trailing P/E) and risk (beta) before you decide.

The metrics above tell you which is the marginally better business. The bigger risk for most people is not picking the slightly worse stock, it is over-concentrating. FICO and VRSK share themes, so owning both, or adding either to what you already hold, can quietly push a large share of your portfolio into one bet.

This is the part a generic comparison page cannot answer, because it depends on what you own. Connect your brokerage and Walnut shows your real, combined FICO and VRSK exposure, flags overlap with your existing positions, and tells you if adding one would tip you past a concentration you are comfortable with, read-only by default, with your login staying at your broker. Walnut is not an investment adviser.

Fair Isaac Corporation, known by its ticker FICO, is best known for the FICO Score, the credit score most U.S. lenders use to gauge consumer credit risk. The business splits into two segments: Scores, which licenses the FICO Score to lenders and the three credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) at extraordinarily high margins (the Scores segment operating margin has run around 91%), and Software, which sells the FICO Platform and analytic decisioning tools to banks, insurers, and other enterprises on a recurring-revenue model. Scores is the profit engine, while Software is the growth-and-stickiness story as customers migrate onto the platform.

Full FICO guide

Verisk Analytics traces back to 1971 as the Insurance Services Office (ISO), a non-profit ratings and data cooperative for property and casualty insurers, and it has since become a for-profit data-and-analytics company that sells almost exclusively into insurance. It operates through two main lines, Underwriting solutions (the larger piece, around $552 million in Q1 2026) and Claims solutions (around $231 million), providing risk-scoring data, policy-language standards, catastrophe and property analytics, fraud detection, and claims-estimating tools. Roughly 83% of revenue is recurring subscription-style, client retention runs above 95%, and the company generates ~$3.14 billion in trailing annual revenue at very high margins (~45% operating, ~28% net).

Full VRSK guide

Both fit overlapping themes, but they are not interchangeable. The useful comparison is which set of drivers and risks you want exposure to.

• FICO drivers: Scores pricing power; Software platform shift.
• VRSK drivers: Recurring, subscription-heavy revenue; Entrenched position in insurance data.

A faster-growing, richer-valued name usually swings harder, so it suits a longer horizon and a higher tolerance for volatility; a steadier, more cash-generative business suits a more conservative or income-minded investor. The honest test is which set of risks you could hold through a drawdown: The biggest 2026 risk is competitive and regulatory: FHFA and the GSEs now allow VantageScore 4.0 (a joint venture of the three credit bureaus) alongside FICO for mortgages, threatening FICO's long-held mortgage-scoring monopoly and inviting pricing pressure. For VRSK, the most cited risk is valuation versus growth: the stock trades at a premium multiple (~29x trailing and ~22x forward earnings as of October 2026) while organic growth sits in the mid-single digits, so any deceleration can pressure the multiple.

Growth-minded investors who believe the theme has years to run tend to accept the richer multiple for more upside; value-minded investors lean toward the cheaper forward earnings and steadier profile. Pick FICO if you believe its drivers more; VRSK if you believe its. Many investors hold both, but since they share themes, that is a concentrated bet, not diversification. Decide deliberately and check overlap. For the full detail, see the FICO and VRSK guides.

FICO. FICO grew trailing revenue ~26% and earnings ~41% year over year, yet the shares fell ~54% in 2026 as the FHFA dispute, VantageScore adoption and mortgage pricing changes compressed the multiple from a trailing P/E near 40x earlier in the year to ~22x trailing and ~15x forward on fiscal 2027 EPS estimates of ~$49.59. That is no longer a large premium to the broader software group. Fiscal fourth-quarter results are expected around November 4, 2026, with consensus EPS of ~$10.89 on ~$658 million of revenue; the 19 analysts covering the stock average a buy with a mean target near $1,032.

VRSK. As of October 16, 2026, Verisk traded near $187.51 with a market cap of about $24.6 billion, an EV/EBITDA near 19 and a ~1.1% dividend yield. The forward multiple has eased to ~22x as the shares fell ~15% this year while earnings estimates held, with analysts looking for EPS of ~$7.70 in 2026 and ~$8.70 in 2027. The premium still reflects the recurring-revenue quality, and modest top-line growth is why some observers flag valuation risk.

Headline figures (approximate, October 2026): FICO shows revenue (ttm) ~$2.39B (June quarter ~+26% YoY), net income (ttm) ~$815M (profit margin ~34%, operating ~54%), q3 fy2026 eps (june quarter) ~$12.18 vs ~$11.78 expected, fy2026 consensus revenue ~$2.53B, EPS ~$42.80; VRSK shows revenue (ttm) ~$3.14B, up ~4.4% year over year in Q2 2026, margins (ttm) ~70% gross, ~45% operating, ~28% net, net income (ttm) ~$886M; trailing EPS ~$6.51, trailing p/e ~29x.

FICO and VRSK are related but distinct: same themes, different businesses and risks. Neither wins in the abstract; the right pick is whichever thesis you actually believe, sized so you are not over-concentrated in one theme. Walnut can show your combined FICO and VRSK exposure against your real portfolio. It is not an investment adviser.