Great businesses at fair prices — here's why each makes the list.
…and 342 more buy candidates in the full briefing.
41 name(s) sliding toward Avoid:
Value $105,436 ▲ +5.4% since 2026-07-16 · ▼ -$0 (-0.0%) since yesterday · S&P +3.1% · Cash $180
| Stock | Held | Price | Today | Since buy | Grade |
| EOG | 78 sh | $142.61 | ▲ +0.8% | +5.8% | 88 |
| FHI | 156 sh | $64.13 | ▲ +0.9% | +7.0% | 90 |
| HIG | 73 sh | $138.02 | ▲ +0.2% | +1.0% | 90 |
| INTU | 33 sh | $345.66 | ▼ -3.5% | +17.3% | 87 |
| LOPE | 69 sh | $144.20 | ▼ -0.8% | +0.7% | 90 |
| LULU | 85 sh | $119.55 | ▼ -0.0% | +0.6% | 88 |
| NBIX | 58 sh | $152.72 | ▲ +1.3% | -11.0% | 89 |
| NEM | 110 sh | $117.76 | ▲ +3.1% | +29.6% | 85 |
| PRI | 31 sh | $313.69 | ▲ +0.3% | +0.3% | 93 |
| RMD | 49 sh | $224.46 | ▼ -1.0% | +10.7% | 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 321 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) | 43 | +13.5% | -0.5% |
| B (65-79) | 162 | +12.0% | -3.6% |
| C (50-64) | 92 | +14.9% | +0.0% |
| D-F (<50) | 24 | +41.0% | +27.2% |
→ higher grades did WORSE here (gap 27.5 pts) ⚠️
22 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 2026-08-16. Educational only — not financial advice.
Today's read covers the top Buy candidates, Paper Fund holdings, and crash-watch names.
News is context alongside the grade — it never overrides it.
Primerica's president Peter Schneider sold 1,800 shares (~$563k) under a pre-set 10b5-1 trading plan. Institutional buyer OneDigital also opened a $1.79M new position. The insider sale is routine (pre-planned, modest size relative to the company) and not a red flag on its own. No operational news this week — the grade remains excellent across all five pillars.
Hartford appointed Priscilla Almodovar to its board (disclosed in an SEC 8-K on Aug 11). She's a senior executive bringing fresh perspective — a normal governance move. CEO Christopher Swift also gifted ~35k shares (not a sale — gifts don't signal bearishness). Multiple institutional buyers added shares. No operational surprises. The grade reflects Hartford's very cheap valuation (P/E 10, FCF yield 14.6%) and low beta (0.46), which remain intact.
Wall Street analysts see ~35% upside, with a mean price target of $195 vs. Friday's close around $144. Two estimates were revised higher in the past 30 days with no downward revisions — earnings momentum is positive. Multiple institutions (Crown Advisors, ABN AMRO, Oppenheimer) added shares. The company previously raised its 2026 guidance and authorized buybacks. The grade's strength — rock-solid balance sheet (virtually no debt), high profitability, and cheap valuation — lines up with the analyst optimism.
Q2 was strong: revenue of $502.8M (+18.3% YoY), beating analyst estimates by 2.3%. The company achieved record gross sales in its quantitative investment solutions and a 14th consecutive quarter of net positive MDT (managed solutions) sales. Stock gained 6.7% post-earnings. Analysts currently rate FHI a consensus "Hold," but the MarketMind grade is considerably more bullish because of FHI's excellent profitability (31% ROE, 69% gross margin) and reasonable valuation (P/E 12).
The most newsworthy name this week. NBIX dropped ~12% in a month despite solid Q2 earnings because of safety concerns around Vykat XR, a drug it acquired via a $2.9B deal with Soleno for treating Prader-Willi syndrome. Seven patient deaths have been reported since FDA approval, plus over 100 serious adverse events — but experts and NBIX's CEO say none have been definitively attributed to the drug. The FDA hasn't pulled it, though label changes are possible.
Meanwhile, the core business is strong: Ingrezza (its flagship) hit $1.4B in first-half sales (+17% YoY) with raised full-year guidance ($2.83-$2.88B), and Crenessity surged 400% YoY. The grade remains high because profitability and growth are excellent. The risk is real but not yet confirmed — if Vykat concerns worsen, it would primarily affect the growth narrative for that one product, not the existing profit engine. Worth watching closely.
No company-specific operational news this week — mostly institutional buying reports and listicle mentions. RJF trades at 13.1x forward P/E with 10.8% annual revenue growth and 14.1% EPS growth, strong for a diversified financial services firm. The grade is driven by valuation and profitability; nothing in this week's news changes the picture.
Turbulent week — LULU had its worst stretch since June, falling ~7%. Several headwinds hit at once: (1) Chief AI & Technology Officer Ranju Das left after less than a year; (2) Strategy Chief Rachel Acheson also departed; (3) George Soros's fund exited its position, per 13F filings. New CEO Heidi O'Neill (ex-Nike) takes over September 8. The company expanded its "Like New" resale program to Canada.
The grade is still high because LULU's profitability and balance sheet remain strong. But the leadership churn — two senior exits right before a CEO transition — is a legitimate concern for execution risk. The stock is down 53% from its highs and 43% year-to-date, so much of the bad news may be priced in. An SEC 8-K filed Aug 13 likely formalized one of these departures (the SEC site blocked access so I couldn't confirm the exact content).
Excellent Q2: record adjusted EPS of $5.07, record free cash flow of $2.8B, and record cash flow per share of $8.29. Oil production grew 8.8% YoY to 548,800 barrels/day. The company returned $1.8B to shareholders (dividends + buybacks) and reiterated $6.5B capex guidance with a WTI breakeven below $50/barrel. Management also highlighted promising international expansion in the UAE and a new Austin Chalk discovery with sub-one-year payouts. This is a very well-run E&P company and the results back up the high grade.
Intuit is pushing hard into AI and the mid-market with three products: QuickBooks Online Advanced, Intuit Enterprise Suite (multi-entity ERP), and "Intuit Intelligence Chat" (natural-language querying of financial data). The strategy aims to keep growing businesses from defecting to Oracle/Microsoft. However, Mizuho cut its price target on an FY27 outlook reset, and the stock dipped ~3% on the news. Earnings are due August 25 — that will be the real test.
The grade remains solid because profitability and balance sheet are strong, and valuation has come down (the stock is down 45% this year). The AI push is promising but unproven at scale. Investors are cautious about TurboTax legal exposure and whether mid-market can drive enough growth to offset.
Q2 revenue of $1.34B (+7.1% YoY), beating estimates by 0.8%. The company raised full-year guidance, with its "Agentic Operations" AI platform expected to grow 25%+ for the year. TIME named Genpact one of the world's most sustainable companies for the second straight year. Also recognized by HFS Research as a leader in AI-led anti-money-laundering. An insider (SVP Anil Nanduru) sold shares, which is worth noting but not alarming for a company at these fundamentals. The stock fell 6.7% post-earnings despite the beat — possibly on below-consensus forward guidance.
Despite the low grade, IRM actually reported strong Q2 numbers: revenue of $2.03B (+19% YoY, 17% organic), data center revenue up 39%, and raised full-year guidance to $7.94-$8.01B. The company leased 110 megawatts of data center capacity year-to-date, driven by AI demand. AFFO per share was $1.44, up 16%. Leverage fell to 4.8x (lowest since pre-REIT conversion in 2014).
So why the low grade? The MarketMind scoring system penalizes IRM heavily on valuation and financial health — REITs carry high debt by design and trade at elevated multiples. The CEO also sold $4.68M in stock. IRM is a case where the grade and the business momentum disagree; the grade is doing its job (flagging leverage and valuation risk), but the operational story is genuinely improving. This is context for the user to weigh.
Q2 revenue of $258.8M (+10.6% YoY) with raised full-year guidance ($1.15-$1.2B revenue). Energy storage was the star (+195% revenue), though management warned margins will normalize in H2. Bank of America sold 31,850 shares. The company wrote off $6.6M on an abandoned storage project and two Caribbean projects face slight delays. The low grade likely reflects valuation and leverage for this capital-intensive geothermal/renewable company. Operational performance is decent but not without risks.
The most concerning crash-watch name. CEO Marc Bitzer flagged a "sharp pullback in demand for big-ticket appliances," with a North America executive describing "recession-level industry contractions" and discretionary demand down ~15%. Q2 sales were $3.52B with a razor-thin 1.1% net margin and guidance of just $2.25-$2.75 EPS. The dividend is suspended. AQR Capital disclosed a 5.33% stake (3.45M shares), which could mean they see deep value — or activist interest. The grade rightly reflects weak profitability and soft demand. This is a genuine warning.
A small utility (parent of PNM). Lifted profits and cash flow in first-half 2026. Pentwater Capital disclosed a 5.9% beneficial stake. The notable story: a private equity firm returned $13.3M to TXNM's parent following public criticism — suggesting governance friction from the Avangrid/PNM merger era. The low grade reflects utility-sector challenges (high debt, regulated growth). Not urgent, but the governance noise warrants monitoring.
Q2 was solid: AFFO per share of $0.90 (+5.9% YoY), occupancy at 99.1%, and raised acquisition guidance to $750M. The company increased its dividend for the 37th consecutive year. Board succession planning adds two experienced real estate executives. The low grade is a valuation/leverage call (typical for REITs). Operationally, NNN is stable. Movie theater exposure is being actively reduced.
- SEC 8-K filings for HIG and LULU returned 403 errors (SEC's EDGAR site blocked the fetch). The HIG filing was the board appointment; the LULU filing likely related to leadership changes but I couldn't confirm.
- Several Google News redirect links only returned the Google SPA shell, not the actual article (known limitation).
- The Lululemon "Like New" article on WWD loaded only styling code, not the article text.
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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