vs
Side-by-side financial comparison of Fair Isaac (FICO) and Strategic Education, Inc. (STRA). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
Fair Isaac is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($512.0M vs $305.9M, roughly 1.7× Strategic Education, Inc.). Fair Isaac runs the higher net margin — 30.9% vs 9.7%, a 21.2% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, Fair Isaac posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (16.4% vs -0.8%). Fair Isaac produced more free cash flow last quarter ($173.9M vs $57.3M). Over the past eight quarters, Fair Isaac's revenue compounded faster (8.6% CAGR vs -1.0%).
FICO, originally Fair, Isaac and Company, is an American data analytics company based in Bozeman, Montana, focused on credit scoring services. It was founded by Bill Fair and Earl Isaac in 1956. Its FICO score, a measure of consumer credit risk, has become a fixture of consumer lending in the United States.
Strategic Education, Inc. (SEI) is an education services holding company and is formerly known as Strayer Education, Inc. The company owns for-profit, online Capella University and Strayer University, as well as non-degree programs schools such as DevMountain, Hackbright Academy, and Sophia Learning.
FICO vs STRA — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q1 FY2026 vs Q1 FY2026
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $512.0M | $305.9M |
| Net Profit | $158.4M | $29.7M |
| Gross Margin | 83.0% | — |
| Operating Margin | 45.7% | 13.0% |
| Net Margin | 30.9% | 9.7% |
| Revenue YoY | 16.4% | -0.8% |
| Net Profit YoY | 3.8% | -9.3% |
| EPS (diluted) | $6.61 | $1.24 |
Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.
8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend
Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.
| Q1 26 | — | $305.9M | ||
| Q4 25 | $512.0M | $323.2M | ||
| Q3 25 | $515.8M | $319.9M | ||
| Q2 25 | $536.4M | $321.5M | ||
| Q1 25 | $498.7M | $303.6M | ||
| Q4 24 | $440.0M | $311.5M | ||
| Q3 24 | $453.8M | $306.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | $447.8M | $312.3M |
| Q1 26 | — | $29.7M | ||
| Q4 25 | $158.4M | $37.9M | ||
| Q3 25 | $155.0M | $26.6M | ||
| Q2 25 | $181.8M | $32.3M | ||
| Q1 25 | $162.6M | $29.7M | ||
| Q4 24 | $152.5M | $25.3M | ||
| Q3 24 | $135.7M | $27.7M | ||
| Q2 24 | $126.3M | $29.9M |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 83.0% | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 82.3% | — | ||
| Q2 25 | 83.7% | — | ||
| Q1 25 | 82.4% | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 80.1% | — | ||
| Q3 24 | 80.3% | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 80.3% | — |
| Q1 26 | — | 13.0% | ||
| Q4 25 | 45.7% | 16.0% | ||
| Q3 25 | 46.0% | 11.6% | ||
| Q2 25 | 48.9% | 14.2% | ||
| Q1 25 | 49.3% | 13.1% | ||
| Q4 24 | 40.8% | 11.6% | ||
| Q3 24 | 43.4% | 11.9% | ||
| Q2 24 | 42.5% | 13.4% |
| Q1 26 | — | 9.7% | ||
| Q4 25 | 30.9% | 11.7% | ||
| Q3 25 | 30.1% | 8.3% | ||
| Q2 25 | 33.9% | 10.1% | ||
| Q1 25 | 32.6% | 9.8% | ||
| Q4 24 | 34.7% | 8.1% | ||
| Q3 24 | 29.9% | 9.1% | ||
| Q2 24 | 28.2% | 9.6% |
| Q1 26 | — | $1.24 | ||
| Q4 25 | $6.61 | $1.65 | ||
| Q3 25 | $6.41 | $1.15 | ||
| Q2 25 | $7.40 | $1.37 | ||
| Q1 25 | $6.59 | $1.24 | ||
| Q4 24 | $6.14 | $1.05 | ||
| Q3 24 | $5.44 | $1.15 | ||
| Q2 24 | $5.05 | $1.24 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | $162.0M | $140.8M |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | $3.2B | — |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $-1.8B | $1.6B |
| Total Assets | $1.9B | $2.0B |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | — | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | — | $140.8M | ||
| Q4 25 | $162.0M | $148.1M | ||
| Q3 25 | $134.1M | $172.6M | ||
| Q2 25 | $189.0M | $164.9M | ||
| Q1 25 | $146.6M | $182.6M | ||
| Q4 24 | $184.3M | $184.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $150.7M | $222.1M | ||
| Q2 24 | $156.0M | $256.2M |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $3.2B | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $3.1B | — | ||
| Q2 25 | $2.8B | — | ||
| Q1 25 | $2.5B | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $2.4B | — | ||
| Q3 24 | $2.2B | — | ||
| Q2 24 | $2.1B | — |
| Q1 26 | — | $1.6B | ||
| Q4 25 | $-1.8B | $1.6B | ||
| Q3 25 | $-1.7B | $1.7B | ||
| Q2 25 | $-1.4B | $1.7B | ||
| Q1 25 | $-1.1B | $1.6B | ||
| Q4 24 | $-1.1B | $1.7B | ||
| Q3 24 | $-962.7M | $1.7B | ||
| Q2 24 | $-829.3M | $1.7B |
| Q1 26 | — | $2.0B | ||
| Q4 25 | $1.9B | $2.0B | ||
| Q3 25 | $1.9B | $2.1B | ||
| Q2 25 | $1.9B | $2.1B | ||
| Q1 25 | $1.8B | $2.1B | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.7B | $2.0B | ||
| Q3 24 | $1.7B | $2.2B | ||
| Q2 24 | $1.7B | $2.2B |
Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency
How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating Cash FlowLast quarter | $174.1M | $67.7M |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $173.9M | $57.3M |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | 34.0% | 18.7% |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 0.0% | — |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | 1.10× | 2.27× |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | $750.6M | $153.9M |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | — | $67.7M | ||
| Q4 25 | $174.1M | $39.2M | ||
| Q3 25 | $223.7M | $60.1M | ||
| Q2 25 | $286.2M | $31.2M | ||
| Q1 25 | $74.9M | $67.7M | ||
| Q4 24 | $194.0M | $15.9M | ||
| Q3 24 | $226.5M | $51.5M | ||
| Q2 24 | $213.3M | $24.3M |
| Q1 26 | — | $57.3M | ||
| Q4 25 | $173.9M | $27.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | $219.5M | $49.3M | ||
| Q2 25 | $284.4M | $20.4M | ||
| Q1 25 | $72.8M | $57.3M | ||
| Q4 24 | $193.2M | $4.7M | ||
| Q3 24 | $224.7M | $42.1M | ||
| Q2 24 | $211.6M | $13.6M |
| Q1 26 | — | 18.7% | ||
| Q4 25 | 34.0% | 8.3% | ||
| Q3 25 | 42.6% | 15.4% | ||
| Q2 25 | 53.0% | 6.3% | ||
| Q1 25 | 14.6% | 18.9% | ||
| Q4 24 | 43.9% | 1.5% | ||
| Q3 24 | 49.5% | 13.8% | ||
| Q2 24 | 47.2% | 4.3% |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 0.0% | 3.8% | ||
| Q3 25 | 0.8% | 3.4% | ||
| Q2 25 | 0.3% | 3.4% | ||
| Q1 25 | 0.4% | 3.4% | ||
| Q4 24 | 0.2% | 3.6% | ||
| Q3 24 | 0.4% | 3.1% | ||
| Q2 24 | 0.4% | 3.4% |
| Q1 26 | — | 2.27× | ||
| Q4 25 | 1.10× | 1.03× | ||
| Q3 25 | 1.44× | 2.26× | ||
| Q2 25 | 1.57× | 0.97× | ||
| Q1 25 | 0.46× | 2.27× | ||
| Q4 24 | 1.27× | 0.63× | ||
| Q3 24 | 1.67× | 1.86× | ||
| Q2 24 | 1.69× | 0.81× |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
FICO
| Business To Business Scores | $248.6M | 49% |
| Saa S Products | $115.7M | 23% |
| Platform Software | $73.9M | 14% |
| Business To Consumer Scores | $55.9M | 11% |
| Technology Service | $19.2M | 4% |
STRA
| U.S. Higher Education | $221.0M | 72% |
| Australia/New Zealand | $48.3M | 16% |
| Education Technology Services | $34.3M | 11% |
