Great businesses at fair prices — here's why each makes the list.
…and 374 more buy candidates in the full briefing.
43 name(s) sliding toward Avoid:
Value $105,133 ▲ +5.1% since 2026-07-16 · ▲ +$1,171 (+1.1%) since yesterday · S&P +1.0% · Cash $3,897
| Stock | Held | Price | Today | Since buy | Grade |
| CF | 83 sh | $131.24 | ▼ -1.4% | +1.3% | 89 |
| EOG | 78 sh | $148.54 | ▲ +0.8% | +10.2% | 87 |
| FHI | 156 sh | $58.99 | ▼ -1.0% | -1.6% | 93 |
| HIG | 73 sh | $137.59 | ▲ +0.9% | +0.7% | 90 |
| INTU | 33 sh | $339.15 | ▲ +5.5% | +15.0% | 87 |
| LOPE | 69 sh | $153.48 | ▲ +1.5% | +7.2% | 90 |
| LULU | 85 sh | $100.30 | ▲ +1.3% | -15.6% | 87 |
| NBIX | 58 sh | $157.22 | ▲ +0.6% | -8.4% | 89 |
| PRI | 31 sh | $295.40 | ▲ +1.0% | -5.5% | 93 |
| RMD | 49 sh | $222.99 | ▲ +2.2% | +10.0% | 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 318 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% | -0.3% |
| B (65-79) | 160 | +11.8% | -3.6% |
| C (50-64) | 90 | +12.7% | -1.6% |
| D-F (<50) | 24 | +41.0% | +27.2% |
→ higher grades did WORSE here (gap 28.0 pts) ⚠️
42 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 2026-09-13. Educational only — not financial advice.
Market weather: FAIR (SPY above its rising 200-day average).
Mode: Balanced. No holdings on file.
The biggest story this week. Lululemon reported Q2 revenue down 4% year-over-year, with comparable sales dropping 10% globally (North America even worse at -12%). Management guided Q3 revenue down 10-11%, another steep cut. The stock has cratered to ~$100, levels not seen since 2018, and is down roughly 50% year-to-date. New CEO Heidi O'Neill (from Nike) took over on September 8 — an SEC 8-K was filed confirming the leadership transition — but any real turnaround is likely a 2027 story at the earliest.
Meanwhile, Michael Burry of "Big Short" fame has made LULU his largest position, calling it "the trickster" in his portfolio. He previously flagged $150 as his "load up the truck" price and has been buying below $100. On the other side, Jim Cramer says it's "a thoroughly broken stock" he can't find a good reason to buy, and Motley Fool warns the cheap valuation could be a "value trap" as consumers increasingly question premium-priced athletic wear. BMO also turned bearish on athletic names broadly.
Grade vs. news: The grade (87.4) reflects strong profitability and financials on the books, but the news paints a picture of accelerating revenue declines and a brand in trouble. This is a classic case where the backward-looking numbers haven't fully caught up to the deteriorating business trend. The grade doesn't lie — those margins and cash flows are real — but the direction of travel is concerning. Worth watching closely, not rushing in.
Quiet, steady news. Headlines mention rising markets lifting Primerica's investment sales outlook, and director/insider stock-unit accumulation (phantom shares, not open-market buys — these are routine compensation disclosures, not a signal). Brokerages carry a consensus "Hold" rating. A Seeking Alpha piece notes investment product growth supports a more positive outlook. No red flags in the news; the very high grade (93 — strong across all five pillars, especially valuation at P/E 12 with 11.5% FCF yield) looks well-supported by fundamentals.
A Seeking Alpha analysis highlights the company shifting to higher-fee products, which should support margins. Institutional moves are mixed (some selling, some buying — normal rebalancing noise). The company declared a small dividend for October 1. The grade (92.8) reflects excellent financials: low beta (0.63), strong ROE (31%), and cheap valuation (P/E 11). News is consistent with the grade — no concerns.
No material company-specific news. Headlines are mostly "how the stock performed vs. the Dow" recaps and institutional position changes (National Pension Service buying, Engineers Gate holding). The grade is driven by an outstanding valuation (P/E 9, PEG 0.1, FCF yield 14.9%) and strong growth (EPS CAGR 28%). Nothing in the news to challenge the thesis.
Only institutional fund flows this week (Amundi buying, Wellington holding, Virginia Retirement investing). No operational or earnings news. The grade reflects a debt-light, highly profitable education company. No news-driven concern.
RBC reaffirmed its positive view, citing Ingrezza and the newer Crenessity as drivers for the second half, with a "catalyst-rich" 2027 ahead. Two officers filed plans for routine stock sales ($361K and $736K) — these are pre-scheduled 10b5-1 plans, not panic selling. The growth numbers remain strong (revenue up 40% YoY, EPS up 31%), and the analyst outlook is constructive. Grade and news align well.
Mixed analyst signals. A Seeking Alpha piece argues CF is "crushing European rivals with a structural moat" — likely referring to its US natural gas cost advantage in nitrogen fertilizer production. However, KeyBanc initiated coverage with an Underweight rating on supply concerns, suggesting new capacity could pressure pricing. The grade is strong across the board, but the KeyBanc downside call is worth noting as a risk if global fertilizer supply grows faster than demand. (I couldn't read the full Seeking Alpha or Investing.com articles — Google News redirects didn't yield the article text.)
Stock is up 17.2% over three months, driven by growth in its private client group, successful acquisitions, and investment banking recovery. The article flags "rising expenses and brokerage volatility" as headwinds. Grade (88.6) reflects solid fundamentals. News is mildly positive — momentum but with some cost-side caution.
The stock hit a fresh 52-week low at ~$79 despite being flagged as a Q2 earnings outperformer among footwear stocks. Nike's removal from the S&P 100 after losing 80% of its value highlights sector-wide pain, and BMO is bearish on athletic names broadly. Deckers (UGG, HOKA brands) is getting caught in the sector downdraft even though its earnings were strong. The grade is high, but the stock is in freefall — similar to LULU, the market is pricing in sector risk that the backward-looking grade doesn't fully reflect. (Couldn't read the full BMO or earnings articles.)
A headline about "premium flattening" hitting KNSL's stock performance suggests the specialty insurance market's pricing cycle may be peaking, which could slow premium growth. California State Teachers Retirement System made a large purchase (8.3M shares). Institutional interest is strong, but the premium-cycle concern is worth monitoring. Couldn't read the full Zacks article for details.
Serious trouble. Whirlpool has suspended its common dividend entirely, citing the need to "maximize cash preservation." The company burned approximately $1.1 billion in cash in Q2 alone, with negative operating cash flow of -$827M in Q1. Net debt stands at $5.8 billion. The stock hit a new 52-week low at $35.37 and is down ~50% YTD. Multiple articles flag the dividend screen still showing ~6.9% yield as misleading since the payout is now zero. The low grade (45.8) is well-earned — this is a company in genuine financial distress.
Two material developments. First, TXNM priced a $400M equity offering (~7.08M new shares at $56.50) to repay term debt ahead of its pending Blackstone acquisition. That's meaningful dilution but strengthens the balance sheet. Second, the New Mexico Department of Justice is raising "fresh questions" about the Blackstone deal — couldn't read the full article, but regulatory pushback on a take-private is a real risk to the deal closing. The low grade reflects weak fundamentals independent of the deal uncertainty.
Despite the very low grade, Iron Mountain is pivoting aggressively into data centers and digital solutions. The company targets 20%+ long-term growth by cross-selling 245,000 existing customers, expects $1B+ in data center revenue this year, and has 325 megawatts of capacity scheduled for energization in the next 18-24 months. Digital solutions already exceed $600M annually. There's also a Saudi bank AI deal in the news. News and grade disagree here: the grade reflects Iron Mountain's traditional REIT financials (high debt, low margins), while the news highlights a potentially transformative business shift. The grade is what it is — the fundamentals today are weak — but IRM's data-center pivot is a story worth watching even if the tool correctly flags the risk.
Multiple positive analyst notes. RBC says Ormat is positioned for earnings growth through 2030. Oppenheimer says the 2030 targets imply an achievable rebound in electricity margins to 40%. A Seeking Alpha piece argues existing assets can drive the next growth leg. Analysts held an investor day on 9/9. The low grade likely reflects current valuation or margin compression, but the analyst community sees a multi-year recovery path. (Full article text was mostly inaccessible.)
Zacks upgraded NNN to a #2 (Buy) rating, citing "growing optimism about earnings prospects." Several articles position it as a reliable dividend REIT with long-term leases. The grade is middling, but the upgrade and yield-focused coverage suggest the market sees value here for income investors.
- JNJ (Johnson & Johnson) moved from Hold to Buy (grade 71.5)
- UNH (UnitedHealth) moved from Hold to Buy (grade 70.4)
- FERG (Ferguson Enterprises) moved from Hold to Buy (grade 70.1)
- EXPD (Expeditors International) dropped from Buy to Hold (grade 69.7)
- OTIS (Otis Worldwide) dropped from Buy to Hold (grade 68.5)
- RYN (Rayonier) improved from Avoid to Hold (grade 50.0)
Several articles couldn't be fully read due to known limitations: Google News redirect links returned only SPA shells (not the actual article), and the SEC 8-K for LULU returned a 403 (access denied). Yahoo Finance articles were hit-or-miss — some rendered content, many returned only JavaScript code. The Seeking Alpha, Investing.com, and Utility Dive articles were also unreadable through redirects. Headlines and partial snippets were used where full text was unavailable, and I've noted those cases above. This is a known constraint of free news sources accessed programmatically.
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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