Great businesses at fair prices — here's why each makes the list.
…and 377 more buy candidates in the full briefing.
41 name(s) sliding toward Avoid:
Value $103,159 ▲ +3.2% since 2026-07-16 · ▲ +$130 (+0.1%) since yesterday · S&P +1.2% · Cash $3,897
| Stock | Held | Price | Today | Since buy | Grade |
| CF | 83 sh | $133.82 | ▲ +1.4% | +3.3% | 89 |
| EOG | 78 sh | $145.47 | ▲ +0.4% | +8.0% | 87 |
| FHI | 156 sh | $56.36 | ▼ -0.6% | -6.0% | 93 |
| HIG | 73 sh | $133.14 | ▼ -1.3% | -2.6% | 90 |
| INTU | 33 sh | $313.13 | ▼ -1.6% | +6.2% | 87 |
| LOPE | 69 sh | $152.41 | ▼ -0.9% | +6.5% | 89 |
| LULU | 85 sh | $99.39 | ▲ +3.6% | -16.4% | 87 |
| NBIX | 58 sh | $151.83 | ▲ +1.6% | -11.5% | 90 |
| PRI | 31 sh | $290.33 | ▼ -0.5% | -7.2% | 93 |
| RMD | 49 sh | $228.42 | ▲ +0.1% | +12.7% | 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 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. One rating change today: STT (State Street) moved Hold → Buy at grade 75.5.
Deckers filed an SEC 8-K (material event) on Sep 15 — the filing itself returned a 403 so I couldn't read it, but separate coverage indicates the company raised its EPS and margin guidance. That said, BMO Capital turned negative on athletic-wear names including DECK, and the stock touched a 52-week low of $78.91 before bouncing back +2.2% yesterday. The guidance raise is a genuine positive catalyst; the BMO downgrade appears to be a sector-level call rather than DECK-specific. DECK remains debt-free with strong Q2 earnings (called an "outperformer" in its footwear peer group). Grade of 88.7 looks justified — the valuation has gotten cheaper with the pullback.
CF has rallied 24.3% year-to-date, driven by strong nitrogen fertilizer demand, firm pricing, tightening global supply, and robust shareholder returns. A Seeking Alpha analysis highlighted CF's "structural moat" vs European competitors (EU producers face higher energy costs). CF also leads the top-10 large-cap U.S. materials stocks on momentum grades. No red flags here — the rally appears fundamentally supported, not speculative.
Hamilton Lane announced a strategic partnership with Columbia Threadneedle to deliver hybrid public/private investment products to the wealth management channel — a meaningful growth avenue as private markets democratize for retail investors. Separately, Hamilton Lane participated in a $215M financing for telMAX (Canadian fiber internet) and hired a senior investment team member in London as its European presence grows. The business is actively expanding its distribution and geographic footprint.
No material catalysts this week — the news is mostly routine institutional share movements (Amundi sold ~30k shares; CalSTRS trimmed). The CEO disclosed a 5,475-share gift (not a market sale), retaining 26.7k shares — no insider-selling signal. A Seeking Alpha piece cited "Investment Product Growth" as supporting a more positive outlook. Stock is up 15.2% over 6 months, tracking the S&P. The grade of 93 reflects genuinely excellent fundamentals (P/E 12, ROE 33%, FCF yield 11.6%).
Featured in a "3 Market-Beating Stocks on Our Buy List" article and highlighted as a strong dividend stock (2.5% yield). A "higher for longer rates" article notes that elevated rates benefit money-market-focused asset managers like Federated Hermes, whose money-market AUM is a key revenue driver. No negative catalysts. Virginia Retirement Systems took a $2.83M position — a modest institutional vote of confidence.
Brokerages give HIG an average "Hold" rating, which may look like a disconnect with our Buy — but our grade (90.3) reflects HIG's outstanding value metrics (P/E 9, PEG 0.1, FCF yield 15.3%). Bank of America added 2.6M shares. HIG was included in a top Wall Street analyst calls roundup alongside names like Airbnb and Expedia, though the specific action on HIG couldn't be read from the article. Mostly steady — no material catalyst either way.
Today's headline article — "Data Deluge Reshapes A Familiar Growth Story" — references clinical data published August 12 showing that patients on Neurocrine's psychiatric drug "feel the difference" (patient-reported outcomes, not just clinical endpoints). This is notable because patient-perceivable benefits strengthen commercial adoption. Shares fell 4.6% earlier this week on no obvious catalyst (possibly profit-taking after a strong run). An insider sold $130k in stock — small relative to the company's market cap. Growth numbers remain exceptional (rev CAGR 24%, EPS CAGR 46%).
Consensus analyst rating is "Moderate Buy." Listed among "5 Best Education Stocks for 2026." CalSTRS increased its stake. No material news — LOPE is a steady, low-beta compounder (beta 0.58) with excellent financial health and profitability.
Raymond James announced key executive leadership appointments (specific roles couldn't be read) and launched a new retirement plan option for small business owners — a product expansion that supports its wealth management growth. The stock sits below the analyst target range. Bank of America acquired 2.37M shares. No negative developments.
Analysts lifted price targets on KNSL. The stock gained on a day the broader market dipped. A separate article discussed how AI could give specialty insurers an edge as insurance markets soften — Kinsale, as an E&S (excess and surplus) specialist, is well-positioned in niche markets. No material negative news.
This is the most concerning name on the list. Whirlpool has suspended its dividend entirely. The stock has collapsed 49% year-to-date and 61% over the past year. The company posted negative earnings (-$0.56/share in Q1, -$0.21 in Q2) and burned roughly $1.1 billion in free cash flow in Q2 alone. Net debt stands at $5.8 billion with $350M in annual interest expense. Management is "betting big on price hikes and balance sheet fixes," but full-year FCF guidance of just $300M couldn't have supported the old dividend. Even if restored, restrictive covenants on $2B in secured bonds will limit future payouts. The grade of 46 accurately reflects serious financial distress.
The Blackstone acquisition of TXNM's subsidiary PNM remains in regulatory limbo. Key developments: (1) Regulators declared a $400M Blackstone stock purchase void, and TXNM had to reverse it via a Wells Fargo loan. (2) The companies doubled proposed rate credits from $105M to $220M and added an $80M community benefits package ($40M workforce development, $25M virtual power plant, $15M low-income assistance) — a total $300M sweetener. (3) New Mexico DOJ is questioning whether replacement financing creates hidden costs for ratepayers. The merger deadline has been extended to May 2027. This is a classic regulatory-uncertainty situation — the outcome is binary and could go either way.
Despite the low grade, Iron Mountain has a genuine growth story in data centers ($1B+ expected revenue in 2026, 110 MW leased year-to-date, 325 MW planned over 18-24 months) and asset lifecycle management (~$1B revenue, up from $30M in 2021). Digital solutions hit $600M+ annually. A Saudi AI-related lending deal was also flagged as potentially significant. The disconnect: IRM scores poorly on MarketMind's traditional financial metrics (likely valuation and balance sheet — it's a REIT with higher leverage), but the data center/AI transformation is real. The low grade reflects the fundamentals as they stand today, not the forward story.
Hit a 52-week low at $91.03. A Seeking Alpha piece argues existing geothermal assets can drive the next leg of growth, but the stock continues to drift lower. Mostly institutional share movements (Tidal Investments trimmed, CalSTRS bought). No clear catalyst for a turnaround — the grade reflects weak scores on the metrics MarketMind measures.
NNN was upgraded to Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and featured in a Motley Fool deep dive highlighting its 37-year consecutive dividend increase streak (3rd longest among ~180 public REITs). Current yield is 5.6% with a 70% payout ratio (conservative for a REIT). AFFO guidance is $3.55-$3.59/share. The company owns ~3,800 net-lease properties with 10+ year average lease terms and can self-fund ~$550M in annual acquisitions. MarketMind's grade of 48.8 likely penalizes NNN on growth and profitability metrics where REITs structurally score lower — the Zacks upgrade and dividend track record suggest the market sees value here even if our scoring model doesn't favor it.
Most Yahoo Finance article pages returned only their JavaScript shell (no readable text) — this is a known limitation with Yahoo's single-page app architecture. I successfully read full articles from: Utility Dive (TXNM/Blackstone DOJ concerns), Santa Fe New Mexican (PNM merger rate credits), 247 Wall Street (Whirlpool dividend suspension), Motley Fool (NNN REIT dividend analysis), and MarketBeat (Iron Mountain growth strategy). The SEC 8-K filing for DECK returned a 403 error. Google News redirect links were not attempted (known to fail). Headlines and metadata descriptions provided partial context where full articles were unavailable.
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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