Great businesses at fair prices — here's why each makes the list.
…and 346 more buy candidates in the full briefing.
39 name(s) sliding toward Avoid:
Value $105,309 ▲ +5.3% since 2026-07-16 · ▲ +$232 (+0.2%) since yesterday · S&P +3.3% · Cash $180
| Stock | Held | Price | Today | Since buy | Grade |
| EOG | 78 sh | $141.41 | ▼ -1.2% | +5.0% | 88 |
| FHI | 156 sh | $63.55 | ▲ +0.9% | +6.0% | 90 |
| HIG | 73 sh | $137.81 | ▲ +0.3% | +0.8% | 90 |
| INTU | 33 sh | $358.29 | ▲ +7.0% | +21.5% | 87 |
| LOPE | 69 sh | $145.31 | ▲ +2.3% | +1.5% | 90 |
| LULU | 85 sh | $119.56 | ▼ -1.1% | +0.6% | 88 |
| NBIX | 58 sh | $150.82 | ▼ -3.6% | -12.1% | 89 |
| NEM | 110 sh | $114.19 | ▼ -3.1% | +25.7% | 85 |
| PRI | 31 sh | $312.68 | ▲ +0.6% | -0.0% | 93 |
| RMD | 49 sh | $226.74 | ▲ +0.3% | +11.8% | 84 |
Fictional money · prices update daily · a live test of whether the picks actually work.
Does the grading actually work? Two honest halves — a backtest on past data, and the real live record as it ripens. It reports the truth even when that's “not enough data yet.”
Reconstructed 323 graded moments across 150 companies (a sample of 150 names), then measured what each actually returned over the next 12 months.
Do higher grades earn better returns?
| Grade | Names | 12-mo return | vs S&P |
| A (80-100) | 44 | +13.0% | -1.1% |
| B (65-79) | 162 | +12.2% | -3.5% |
| C (50-64) | 93 | +15.1% | -0.0% |
| D-F (<50) | 24 | +41.0% | +27.2% |
→ higher grades did WORSE here (gap 28.0 pts) ⚠️
17 snapshot(s) since 2026-07-06, none ripe yet — first 6-month check ~2027-01-06.
Backtest limits: ~5 years back, surviving companies only, restated statements — a strong first read, not gospel. The live record is the hindsight-free gold standard and strengthens every month. Refreshed 2026-08-09. Educational only — not financial advice.
What the agent actually read today, presented alongside (never overriding) the grade.
Primerica beat Q2 estimates with adjusted EPS up 17% to $6.41 and returned $173M to shareholders. The investment & savings side was the star — revenue up 21%, AUM hit a record $140B. The flip side: life insurance policies issued fell 12% as middle-income families tighten budgets. Management guided ISP sales +10–15% for the year but expects life policy counts to decline mid-single digits. A separate filing shows Kayne Anderson Rudnick disclosed an 8.9% ownership stake — a meaningful institutional vote of confidence. CEO Glenn Williams sold 1,500 shares and a director sold 279; both are small relative to their holdings and look like routine diversification, not a red flag. Bottom line: the ISP growth engine is firing; life insurance softness is the one thing to watch, but it's a demand issue (economy), not a company quality issue. Consistent with the strong grade.
The main news is a board appointment: Priscilla Almodovar, former CEO of Fannie Mae (oversaw ~$4.1T in mortgages), joins Hartford's board effective Sept 1. She brings deep financial-services and risk-management expertise — a quality-of-governance positive. The SEC 8-K filing relates to this appointment. Otherwise the news is institutional flow noise (funds adjusting positions) and a peer article about AIG's earnings — not Hartford-specific. CEO Christopher Swift gifted ~35,000 shares (likely estate/charitable planning, not a sale). Bottom line: no operational surprises; the Almodovar board addition is a modest positive for oversight quality. Grade looks well-supported.
A SimplyWallSt article (Google redirect, couldn't read the full piece) highlights that LOPE beat EPS estimates, raised 2026 guidance, and announced buybacks — all positives for a name already graded highly on profitability and growth. Wasatch Advisors and Reinhart Partners both increased positions. A Zacks value comparison rates LOPE a "C" on pure value vs. peer PRDO, but that's partly because LOPE trades at a premium (14.9x forward P/E) reflecting its quality. Bottom line: earnings beat + raised guidance + buybacks reinforce the grade. No red flags spotted.
Strong Q2: revenue $502.8M (+18% YoY), EPS $1.38 (vs $1.16 a year ago), and record AUM of $911.6B. The money-market business (now $677B) continues to compound, equity AUM hit a record, and alternative/private markets grew 14% sequentially. The company is even launching a digital treasury fund with a blockchain-compatible share class. One blemish: equity had $1.1B in net redemptions, but that was driven by a single $3B global equity sub-advisory outflow — underlying equity demand was healthy. A $3.4B institutional pipeline is yet to fund. Several headlines about the firm's own 13F holdings positions (what FHI's funds bought) are fund-level news, not company-level. Bottom line: broad-based AUM and revenue growth support the high grade. No concerns.
This name had the most material news of any in today's packet. Two stories matter:
1. Vykat safety concerns (negative catalyst). The Foundation for Prader-Willi Research flagged 7 patient deaths and 100+ serious adverse events (cardiac/respiratory) since FDA approval of Vykat XR (acquired via the $2.9B Soleno deal). Neurocrine's CEO says they see no causal link, and experts stress none of the deaths have been definitively attributed to the drug. But the uncertainty itself spooked investors — shares fell ~5.8% on the news. The company may revise Vykat's prescribing label. This is a real risk to watch: if the FDA requires a black-box warning or restricts use, the commercial value of the $2.9B acquisition weakens.
2. INGREZZA positive data (positive catalyst). The KINECT-PRO study showed 58% of tardive dyskinesia patients achieved symptomatic remission by week 24, with quality-of-life improvements across all severity levels. This reinforces INGREZZA's position as the lead TD treatment. No new safety signals.
Bottom line: the grade reflects strong financials and INGREZZA's dominance. Vykat is a genuine risk that the grade doesn't capture (it's too new for the fundamentals to reflect). If you hold or buy NBIX, keep an eye on any FDA action around Vykat — it could be a headwind. News and grade partially disagree here; the grade is right about the core business, but the Vykat overhang is real.
Record Q2: adjusted EPS $5.70, free cash flow $2.8B (also a record), and production exceeded guidance midpoints. Oil production grew 8.8% YoY to 548,800 bpd. The company returned $1.8B to shareholders (70%+ of FCF) via dividends and buybacks, maintaining a 28-year unbroken dividend streak. Capital spending held at $6.5B with a WTI breakeven below $50/bbl — meaning EOG stays profitable even if oil drops hard. Notable: two exploration wells in the UAE produced 25,000+ bbl/day in their first 30 days, opening a new growth avenue. Seeking Alpha upgraded EOG to Buy. Bottom line: textbook capital discipline and shareholder returns. Grade and news agree — this is a well-run oil producer.
Light on company-specific news this week. The firm was named a PGA TOUR Championship Series sponsor (brand visibility, not financial), and several articles reference Raymond James as an analyst house covering other stocks (On Holding, Viant Technology, Doximity) rather than news about RJF itself. One Sahm article asks "Why Is Raymond James Back In The Spotlight?" but it's behind a Google News redirect and couldn't be read. Institutional flow adjustments (Gradient decreased, Western Wealth opened a position) are routine. Bottom line: no news that challenges or reinforces the grade — a quiet week for RJF.
Lululemon is getting a lot of ink, most of it cautious:
- Sector-wide pressure: Nike, Lululemon, Deckers, and On Holding have all plunged on inflation hitting discretionary spending, tariff headwinds, and fading pandemic tailwinds. LULU specifically struggles with increased competition, "lackluster" styles in some categories, and falling comparable sales in the Americas for several quarters.
- Michael Burry is buying — he sees a value opportunity at 10.5x forward earnings (vs a 5-year average of 29x). Bull case: no debt, $1.5B cash, 23% China revenue growth, and a new CEO (Heidi O'Neill from Nike) starting in September.
- An SEC 8-K was filed Aug 13 — couldn't read the filing directly (403), but given the timing it may relate to executive transition disclosures.
- Seeking Alpha ran a bearish piece titled "The Growth Story Is Unraveling At The Seams."
Bottom line: the grade (88.2) is high because LULU's balance sheet and profitability metrics are still excellent — it has zero debt and strong margins. But the Americas comp-sales decline and competitive pressures are real operational headwinds the grade may be slow to catch. This is a name where the news is more cautious than the number. Worth watching the CEO transition and next earnings closely. The Burry buy is notable but not a recommendation by itself (he's a contrarian and sometimes early by years).
Busy news week, mostly positive:
- AI mid-market push: Intuit launched "Intuit Intelligence Chat" (natural-language financial queries for CFOs), "Books Upkeep" (AI-powered continuous bookkeeping), and expanded Enterprise Suite with multi-entity accounting. This is the company's bet to keep growing businesses inside the Intuit ecosystem instead of losing them to competing ERPs.
- Earnings Aug 25: Wall Street expects Q4 EPS of $2.14 (+26% YoY). Full-year non-GAAP EPS ~$23.85 (+18%). The stock has been beaten down on AI-disruption fears, trading at 3.8x forward sales vs industry average of 6.2x.
- Securities class action: A lead plaintiff deadline is Sept 8. This is a known overhang but no outcome yet.
- Analyst caution: Truist, TD Cowen, and Morgan Stanley recently downgraded or cut targets citing softening growth and AI monetization uncertainty.
Bottom line: the grade reflects strong fundamentals (high margins, recurring revenue). The AI expansion is a genuine catalyst if it converts mid-market customers. The class action and analyst downgrades are headwinds. Aug 25 earnings will be the next big test — watch for guidance commentary on AI monetization.
Kinsale declared a $0.25/share quarterly dividend (payable Sept 14). An analysis highlighted three strengths: 16.3% annualized premium growth, 40.6% annualized EPS growth over 5 years, and 26.5% annual book value growth — all elite for an insurance company. However, the analyst consensus is "Reduce," which creates tension with the strong grade. This likely reflects valuation concerns (KNSL trades at a significant premium to peers), not doubts about the business quality. Bottom line: operationally excellent, but the market is nervous about the price tag. The grade captures quality; the valuation pillar within the grade should already account for this, so monitor whether the premium compresses.
Despite the low grade, Iron Mountain's actual Q2 results were strong: revenue $2.03B (+19%), AFFO/share $1.44 (beat by $0.04), and management raised full-year guidance (revenue ~$8B, AFFO ~$5.90/share). Data center revenue surged 39%, and the company highlighted new AI inference-driven leases. Asset Lifecycle Management grew 88%. Leverage improved to 4.8x (lowest since pre-REIT conversion). So why the low grade? IRM is a REIT with high debt, thin traditional profitability metrics, and stretched valuation — the scoring pillars penalize this structure even though the business is performing well. Insider selling ($1.5M by the Chief Commercial Officer) is worth noting but not unusual for a stock near highs. Bottom line: news and grade strongly disagree here. The business is executing, but the grade legitimately flags the balance sheet leverage and valuation concerns that come with a high-growth REIT model.
Ormat beat Q2 estimates: revenue $258.8M (+10.6%), gross margin expanded 220bps, and management raised full-year guidance to $1.15–$1.2B revenue and $630–$650M EBITDA. Energy storage revenue tripled (+195%). The company is advancing enhanced geothermal (EGS) pilots and launched a new 100-MW binary unit. Wall Street Zen downgraded to Sell, likely on valuation (the stock trades at a premium despite modest EPS). Liquidity is healthy at $1.1B. Bottom line: like IRM, the business is executing (raised guidance, strong storage growth) but the grade penalizes the capital-intensive model, high debt, and rich valuation. News is more positive than the grade suggests.
Mixed Q2: revenue fell 6.8% to $3.5B on soft North American demand, ongoing EPS was negative $0.21, but margins improved 50bps sequentially as price hikes took hold. Management reaffirmed ~$15B revenue guidance but cut EPS guidance to $2.50–$3.00 (from higher) due to increased interest expense. The turnaround plan targets $150M in cost cuts plus $100M from manufacturing modernization. Whirlpool is a value story banking on pricing power and cost discipline in a soft demand environment — it's a "show me" situation. Zacks upgraded to Hold. Bottom line: early turnaround signs (margin gains, pricing traction) but demand weakness and thin margins justify the cautious grade. The downward EPS revision is not encouraging.
The material story is the TXNM-Blackstone deal scrutiny. A private equity firm returned $13.3M to TXNM's parent company PNM after criticism, and state critics are calling for more regulatory scrutiny of the broader Blackstone acquisition. The Santa Fe New Mexican article (rate-limited, couldn't fully load) reports a "voided stock deal" adding fuel to concerns. This is a governance/regulatory risk — if the Blackstone deal gets blocked or restructured, it could be materially negative. Bottom line: regulatory uncertainty is a real risk that aligns with the low grade.
Solid Q2: AFFO/share $0.90 (+5.9%), occupancy surged to 99.1%, and the company raised acquisition guidance to $750M (from $600M). NNN also hiked its dividend for the 37th consecutive year — only 3 REITs match that streak. A new equity and forward sale program gives financing flexibility. Like IRM and ORA, this is a case where the business is performing but the grade penalizes REIT-typical leverage and modest growth. Bottom line: the 37-year dividend streak and near-perfect occupancy are genuinely impressive for income investors, but the scoring model isn't designed to reward REIT characteristics.
Honest disclosure: Several Google News redirect URLs (news.google.com/rss/articles/...) could not be read — they serve a JavaScript shell, not the article. The SEC 8-K filing for Hartford returned a 403 (likely an EDGAR formatting issue). The Santa Fe New Mexican article on TXNM returned a 429 (rate-limited). All conclusions above are drawn only from articles that were successfully read.
MarketMind is a personal, educational stock-research tool. Every morning it screens roughly 900 large- and mid-cap U.S. companies, grades each one from 0–100 on five research-backed pillars — financial health, profitability, growth, valuation, and moat — and surfaces the businesses that look strong and reasonably priced.
The idea it rests on: over the long run, a stock's price follows the company's profits. So rather than chasing hype, MarketMind looks for great businesses at fair prices and lets time do the work.
It also runs a Paper Fund — a fictional $100,000 that automatically follows the tool's own Buy ratings — so you can watch, over time, whether the picks actually work. It's pretend money: nothing here is ever bought or sold for real.
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