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Stock Comparison · Industry comparison · Software - Application

Fair Isaac vs Paychex: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

Fair Isaac holds the cleaner structural position, with the lead spread across growth and profitability. Paychex still leads on valuation and stability, which keeps the comparison from looking entirely one-sided. Both sides have seen trend damage — neither carries a clear market edge right now. With both trends damaged, the structural comparison carries most of the weight here.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Both peer scores are relative to the S&P 500 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-05-17

The lead is spread across growth and profitability, rather than sitting in one isolated gap. Fair Isaac Corporation leads by 8 points on the overall comparison score.

INDUSTRY COMPARISON

Both operate in: Software - Application

This comparison is based on industry proximity, not on functional trajectory similarity. FICO and PAYX share the same industry classification.

For a similarity-based comparison, see how Fair Isaac and Paychex each position within their functional peer groups in AssetNext.

Peer-Relative Score
FICO
Fair Isaac Corporation
64
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500
vs
PAYX
Paychex, Inc.
56
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500

Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.

Score differences across key dimensions.

Dimension spread: FICO vs PAYX Profitability 74 40 Stability 33 48 Valuation 53 79 Growth 95 52 FICO PAYX
Gap Ranking
#1 Growth +43
#2 Profitability +34
#3 Valuation +26
#4 Stability +15
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for FICO and PAYX Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer FICOPAYX Relative valuation Structural strength

The setup splits cleanly: structure favours Fair Isaac Corporation, while the price setup favours Paychex, Inc..

Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.

Entry today — historical context

Where FICO and PAYX each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY FICO Neutral · below norm 0th 50th 100th 48 pct gap PAYX Lower · below norm 0th 50th 100th 53rd 6th
Today PAYX sits in the lower portion of its own 5-year history (6th percentile), while FICO sits higher in its own history (53rd). Within each stock's own 5-year context, PAYX is at a historically more favourable entry position than FICO. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger — peer-relative analysis is a separate question addressed above.

Describes historical entry positioning only. Descriptive — not investment advice.

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Growth
Both profiles are strong on growth, but Fair Isaac Corporation leads clearly.
Profitability
On profitability, the edge is clear — both rank well, but Fair Isaac Corporation sits noticeably higher.
Growth — Dominant Gap
FICO
95
PAYX
52
Gap+43in favour of FICO

Earnings growth is one contributing factor within the growth lead.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

Absolute pricing still looks more supportive for Paychex, with a forward P/E that is 4.7 turns lower there.

What this means for the comparison

The lead is built on both growth and profitability — though valuation still provides a counterweight.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the FICO vs PAYX comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

Explore full breakdown →
Other comparisons with conflicting dimension signals

Explore how FICO and PAYX each compare against other companies in their peer groups.

Rule-based, descriptive analysis only. Derived from peer percentile dimensions. Not investment advice. Peer groups are determined algorithmically based on structural similarity — not by sector classification alone.

How AssetNext Peer Scores Work

AssetNext scores reflect each company's structural position within its functional peer group — not a ranking against all stocks simultaneously. Peers are identified by similarity across eight financial dimensions, including revenue growth trajectory, margin structure, capital intensity, and earnings stability. A score of 75 means the company ranks in the top quartile within its own peer group, not the entire market.

Four dimension scores drive the overall peer score: Growth (revenue trajectory and expansion dynamics), Quality (margin structure and capital efficiency), Valuation (peer-relative pricing on standard multiples), and Stability (earnings consistency and financial predictability). Each dimension is scored 0–100 relative to the peer group, then combined into an overall peer score using equal weighting.

Because scores are peer-relative, the same company can have slightly different scores in different index universes. On comparison pages, both companies are shown within their shared peer universe wherever possible — so the scores are directly comparable. The peer basis is stated on each score card.

Scores are recalculated periodically as underlying financial data is updated. All analysis is descriptive and rule-based — AssetNext describes structural realities and never issues buy, sell or hold recommendations.