Great businesses at fair prices — here's why each makes the list.
…and 244 more buy candidates in the full briefing.
22 name(s) sliding toward Avoid:
Value $99,404 ▼ -0.6% since 2026-07-16 · ▲ +$0 (+0.0%) since yesterday · S&P -1.3% · Cash $1,016
| Stock | Held | Price | Today | Since buy | Grade |
| DUOL | 77 sh | $133.85 | ▲ +3.8% | +3.8% | 90 |
| HIG | 73 sh | $140.26 | ▲ +2.6% | +2.6% | 90 |
| INTU | 33 sh | $291.09 | ▼ -1.3% | -1.3% | 88 |
| LOPE | 69 sh | $140.44 | ▼ -1.9% | -1.9% | 90 |
| META | 15 sh | $646.01 | ▼ -2.8% | -2.8% | 89 |
| NBIX | 58 sh | $170.88 | ▼ -0.4% | -0.4% | 89 |
| NEM | 110 sh | $89.70 | ▼ -1.2% | -1.2% | 91 |
| PRI | 31 sh | $310.54 | ▼ -0.7% | -0.7% | 92 |
| PTC | 78 sh | $124.37 | ▼ -2.3% | -2.3% | 89 |
| RMD | 49 sh | $198.99 | ▼ -1.9% | -1.9% | 89 |
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 319 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 | +12.1% | -3.7% |
| C (50-64) | 89 | +15.3% | -0.2% |
| D-F (<50) | 24 | +41.0% | +27.2% |
→ higher grades did WORSE here (gap 28.0 pts) ⚠️
3 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 2026-07-19. Educational only — not financial advice.
What the agent actually read today, alongside (never overriding) the grade.
Stock hit a new all-time high at $312.33 on July 16, and institutional buyers continue adding: Fifth Third Bancorp and the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund both grew their positions last week. An insider (Piper Sandler holder) filed a Form 144 notice to sell stock — routine for an insider taking some profit at record prices, not a red flag by itself. Earnings are coming: Primerica reports Q2 results after the close on August 5, with a webcast August 6. No negative catalysts in the news. The grade (92.4) reflects rock-solid fundamentals — strong profitability, cheap valuation, and healthy balance sheet — and the price action is confirming it.
A busy week. Earnings are next week — Wall Street expects $2.18 EPS (+52% year-over-year) on $6.19B revenue (+16%). However, the consensus estimate was revised ~3% lower in the past 30 days, so expectations have cooled slightly. Newmont has beaten estimates in each of the last four quarters, but the Zacks ESP model flags potential downside surprise risk this time.
Operations: Newmont resumed production at its Cadia mine in Australia after a seismic event temporarily halted work; safety inspections found no injuries or damage. The quick restart is encouraging. The company also continues share buybacks, and TD Cowen upgraded the stock citing confidence in Newmont's free cash flow and operational efficiency despite higher unit costs.
Gold stocks broadly sold off mid-week as an oil rally dented bullion prices and revived Fed-rate concerns — Newmont dipped more than the broader market on those days. This is a macro/commodity headwind, not a company-specific problem. The grade remains strong at 90.7, driven by explosive earnings growth and solid profitability. Worth watching: how gold prices and the earnings print play out next week.
Mixed signals this week. On the positive side: Hartford declared its quarterly common dividend of $0.60/share (payable Oct 2), appointed industry veteran Randy Larsen (former AssuredPartners CEO) to its board, and filed an SEC 8-K (the SEC page blocked access, so I couldn't read the filing's details directly). Institutional buying continues — SEB Asset Management added 512k shares, Wealthfront also increased its stake.
The downside: Piper Sandler downgraded Hartford to Neutral, saying large diversified commercial insurers are "losing the defensive advantage they enjoyed as pricing softness spreads across more insurance lines." No price target was specified. This is a sector-wide concern (insurance pricing cycle turning), not specific to Hartford's execution.
The grade (90.2) still reflects excellent valuation (P/E 10, FCF yield 14.6%) and strong stability. The Piper Sandler downgrade is worth monitoring — if insurance pricing really softens broadly, it could pressure earnings over time — but the fundamentals remain strong today. News and grade disagree somewhat here; the call is yours.
The stock hit a 52-week low at $139.94 and dropped ~5% amid broader sector selling. Multiple outlets flagged the drop, but none cited a company-specific catalyst — this appears to be market/sector rotation rather than a fundamental problem. One institutional holder (Candriam) trimmed its stake, but that's routine portfolio rebalancing. No earnings news or operational developments this week.
The grade is high (89.7) thanks to a nearly debt-free balance sheet, strong profitability, and reasonable valuation (P/E 18, PEG 0.9). The stock price falling while fundamentals hold steady is exactly the kind of situation where the tool's "price follows profits" philosophy says to pay attention — the grade says the business is healthy even as the price dips.
Headline of the week: "CEO Flags Slower Growth" — the stock had its worst day in months after management indicated daily active user growth will be ~20% in 2026, with revenue growth slowing after Q1 before stabilizing later in the year. Retail investors called the selloff "stupid" on StockTwits.
AI execution risks are real: Duolingo is investing heavily in AI-powered learning features, but inference costs will weigh on gross margins near-term. R&D and marketing expenses are projected to grow faster than revenue through 2026. Pricing experiments across subscription tiers could create uneven quarterly results. The stock carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) due to these uncertainties.
On the brighter side, Morgan Stanley raised its price target citing AI-driven user growth potential, and several other analysts also lifted targets. Back Market announced a partnership with Duolingo for back-to-school season, which is a minor but positive brand signal.
Bottom line: The grade (89.6) remains high because the balance sheet is pristine, profitability is exceptional (37% ROE, 38% net margin), and growth is still strong even if decelerating. The stability pillar is the weak spot (46.4) — expected for a younger, volatile growth name. The growth-slowdown headline is noise if the business stays profitable, but it's worth watching margin trends over the next few quarters. Grade and some analyst sentiment disagree; the grade reflects where the company IS, the concerns are about where it's GOING.
Gartner recognition: PTC's Windchill was named a Leader (highest on "Ability to Execute") and its Arena platform a Visionary in the 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant for PLM Software. This is meaningful validation — Gartner predicts 60%+ of manufacturers will rely on PLM as a core AI innovation system by 2030 (up from ~20% now), and PTC is positioned at the front.
PTC also launched Onshape Labs to accelerate AI inside the product development process, and was featured favorably in analyst coverage — 21% average billings growth, 84.7% gross margin, 38.7% operating margin. A health-care partnership (Rambam Hospital + EOS) for digital implant engineering showcases real-world adoption of PTC's platforms.
No negative news. The grade (89.0) is driven by strong profitability, solid health, and good valuation. This is a quiet, steady compounder — the kind of name the tool likes best.
RBC Capital downgraded ResMed to Sector Perform (from Outperform), cutting the price target from $276 to $234. The reasons: FY27 headwinds from replacing Astral ventilators, higher cost of goods, and supply constraints on component parts. These are near-term operational issues, not existential threats, but they could pressure the stock for a couple of quarters.
ResMed also reportedly acquired Noctrix (an article behind a Google News redirect I couldn't fully read), which appears to be a smaller deal expanding their sleep/respiratory portfolio.
The grade (88.9) remains strong based on current financials — quality dividend, strong profitability, healthy balance sheet. The RBC downgrade flags real near-term headwinds though. If you're considering this name, the next few earnings reports will tell whether the cost and supply issues are temporary.
Two big moves: (1) Meta released Muse Spark 1.1 with a 1-million-token context window, priced "50%+ cheaper than Anthropic and OpenAI" — Meta's ad business funds AI development, giving it a pricing edge competitors can't match. (2) Meta will begin manufacturing its own AI chips in September (designed with Broadcom, made by TSMC) to reduce reliance on Nvidia for less intensive AI workloads.
The cloud over Big Tech: The broader AI spending narrative is under pressure. The four biggest spenders (Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta) plan $725B in capex this year, potentially $900B by 2027. Tech was the S&P 500's worst sector last week. The Nasdaq 100 fell 4.1% and semis dropped 10% in their worst week since April 2025. Investors are demanding proof that AI spending generates returns.
Meta specifically is roughly flat year-to-date in 2026 — better than some peers — with a July rebound on talk of renting computing capacity to offset infrastructure costs. Bank of America maintained a Buy rating. The grade (88.8) reflects real profitability and growth today, but the market's AI spending anxiety could keep the stock volatile near-term regardless of fundamentals.
Highlighted as one of the "profitable biotechs struting their stuff as the stock market stumbles" — Neurocrine stands out because it's actually making money (unlike most biotech). Earnings estimates have been rising, and Zacks featured it alongside NVIDIA as a top earnings-growth stock for the second half of 2026.
One thing to note: a company officer exercised options and sold ~4,367 shares, and the chief legal officer sold $1.79M in stock. Insider selling at a profitable, mid-cap biotech is common (execs diversifying), but it's worth noting.
No negative catalysts. The grade (88.8) is well-supported by strong growth, profitability, and reasonable valuation.
Upgraded to Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) on rising earnings estimates — consensus EPS was revised 4.3% higher over the past three months, putting INTU in the top 20% of covered stocks by estimate momentum.
But legal risks linger. Securities-fraud lawsuits tied to TurboTax disclosures allege the company overstated its competitive advantages. A congressman (Richard Allen, GA-12) sold Intuit stock — likely unrelated but adds to headline noise. Analysts are split: some see AI-driven reinvention as a growth catalyst, while others worry legal distractions and slowing growth in Mailchimp/Credit Karma complicate the story.
The grade (88.4) says the business is strong today — good profitability, healthy finances, reasonable valuation. The legal issues are a real overhang worth tracking, but they haven't impaired the financials yet.
Q2 earnings report tomorrow (July 21). Expectations are ugly: a loss of $0.97/share (vs. a profit a year ago), on revenue of $4.09B (+10.6%). The expected loss is largely driven by fuel expenses surging to $1.33B from $700M a year ago. The consensus has actually improved 76% over the past month (it was even worse before), suggesting some optimism that the loss won't be as bad as feared.
Operationally, Alaska Air is launching Iceland eclipse service (new route), and Wall Street sees long-term upside — but the near-term picture is tough. The Horizon integration from the Hawaiian Airlines merger adds complexity. The stock fell with the broader airline sector.
The low grade (40.2) reflects poor current profitability and valuation stress. The earnings print tomorrow will be the next big data point.
Quiet week. The timber REIT's stock traded steady as investors focus on cash flow and housing demand trends. No company-specific catalysts. Jim Cramer said he's "more bullish on it than the rest of Wall Street." One activist/investment firm (Kopernik) took a stake, which attracted some attention.
The low grade reflects weak profitability and valuation metrics in the current housing cycle. This is a cyclical name that could improve if housing demand picks up, but the fundamentals don't support a high grade right now.
The big story: TXNM and Blackstone extended their $11.5 billion merger deadline through May 2027 after a regulatory setback. New Mexico's Public Regulation Commission voted 2-1 to unwind a $400M stock sale to Blackstone affiliates, ruling it violated state law (PRC approval was required). Both companies were fined $300K.
The deal still has Texas and federal approvals, but needs final PRC clearance and NRC sign-off. TXNM's CEO said the partnership is "critical to long-term ability to provide clean, affordable, reliable power." The extension signals commitment, but the regulatory road is bumpy. TXNM also took a $400M loan to unwind the voided transaction.
The low grade (41.2) reflects the underlying utility's fundamentals, not the merger premium. If the deal closes, the price goes to the offer — but the regulatory uncertainty is real.
The stock actually hit a 52-week high ($108.95) this week — unusual for a crash-watch name, but the grade looks at fundamentals, not momentum. Multiple positive developments: Starbucks won a shareholder lawsuit (judge ruled former CEO did not intentionally mislead investors about the sales slump), and is building in-house AI tools to cut its $400M annual software bill (targeting $30M in savings this year). RBC expects fiscal Q3 North America same-store sales to come in-line with consensus.
The grade (45.1) is low because the underlying financials — margins, returns on capital, valuation relative to current earnings — haven't recovered yet from the sales slump, even as the stock price rallies on turnaround hopes. This is a case where the market is pricing in future improvement the numbers don't yet show. The grade is honest about where things stand TODAY; the price reflects optimism about TOMORROW. Both perspectives have merit.
Raised its quarterly dividend to $0.62/share (up 3.3%), marking 37 consecutive years of annual dividend increases — only three public REITs have matched that streak. The stock hit a 52-week high at $48.20.
The low-ish grade (47.5) is driven by REIT-typical metrics (high debt, lower returns on equity) that the scoring engine penalizes. The business itself is steady — triple-net leases mean tenants handle property costs, and the 37-year dividend growth record speaks to quality. This is a name where the grade and the business reality are somewhat at odds because the scoring engine is built for operating companies, not REITs.
MPWR (Monolithic Power Systems) moved from Hold to Buy (grade 73.4). No specific news was gathered for this name — it wasn't in the focused read set. The upgrade reflects improving fundamentals crossing the Buy threshold.
Honest limits: The SEC 8-K filing for HIG (sec.gov) returned a 403 error and couldn't be read. The Investors.com article on NBIX was blocked. Several Google News redirect URLs were not followed (they typically serve only the Google SPA shell). The RBC/Starbucks article was paywalled. One NBIX article (Yahoo) returned a 404. These gaps are noted rather than guessed around.
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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