Great businesses at fair prices — here's why each makes the list.
…and 373 more buy candidates in the full briefing.
41 name(s) sliding toward Avoid:
Value $103,962 ▲ +4.0% since 2026-07-16 · ▲ +$57 (+0.1%) since yesterday · S&P +1.5% · Cash $3,897
| Stock | Held | Price | Today | Since buy | Grade |
| CF | 83 sh | $133.07 | ▼ -1.5% | +2.7% | 89 |
| EOG | 78 sh | $147.36 | ▼ -0.1% | +9.4% | 87 |
| FHI | 156 sh | $59.57 | ▼ -2.3% | -0.7% | 93 |
| HIG | 73 sh | $136.36 | ▼ -0.3% | -0.2% | 90 |
| INTU | 33 sh | $321.57 | ▲ +2.8% | +9.1% | 87 |
| LOPE | 69 sh | $151.20 | ▼ -0.0% | +5.6% | 90 |
| LULU | 85 sh | $98.97 | ▲ +2.2% | -16.7% | 87 |
| NBIX | 58 sh | $156.22 | ▼ -0.2% | -8.9% | 89 |
| PRI | 31 sh | $292.44 | ▲ +1.2% | -6.5% | 93 |
| RMD | 49 sh | $218.27 | ▼ -0.6% | +7.6% | 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.
Rising equity markets are boosting Primerica's investment-product sales outlook, which compounds nicely with its already-strong insurance distribution business. A Seeking Alpha piece highlights investment-product growth as supporting "a more positive outlook." Several institutional fund filings (Engineers Gate, Squarepoint) show recent position increases. Nothing here changes the picture: PRI remains a highly profitable, conservatively valued compounder. No red flags in the news.
A Seeking Alpha analysis notes Federated Hermes is shifting its asset mix toward higher-fee products (equities and alternatives vs. money-market funds), which should lift revenue per dollar managed even if total AUM growth slows. The stock was included on a "3 Market-Beating Stocks" buy list. A small $0.045 dividend was announced (ex-date Oct 1). Institutional flows are mixed (Virginia Retirement buying, Archford selling) — normal rebalancing noise. The fee-mix shift is a genuine positive if it sticks; worth watching at next earnings.
News flow is quiet on the business side — mostly institutional position changes (National Pension Service buying, Engineers Gate adding). A director reported an 11-share stake (tiny, administrative filing). One MarketWatch note flags an underperformance day vs. peers, but single-day moves are noise. Hartford's grade is anchored in deep value (P/E 9, FCF yield ~15%) and strong earnings growth (EPS +36% YoY). Nothing in the news challenges or adds to that thesis.
Several institutional buys (Amundi, Virginia Retirement, Engineers Gate all adding shares). One headline flags a 10.3% drop over 4 weeks and calls it "ripe for a turnaround." The pullback appears price-driven (no bad news), and the fundamentals remain intact: virtually no debt, 31% ROE, 20% net margins. The stock is down but the business isn't broken — classic short-term volatility in a well-run company.
The most material item: RBC reaffirmed its rating and highlighted Ingrezza and the newer Crenessity as drivers for H2, calling 2027 "catalyst-rich." An insider (officer) has a planned sale of 2,154 shares — this is a pre-scheduled 10b5-1 plan, not a panic sale. A Directors Talk analysis cited 36% upside potential with "robust revenue growth." The news is supportive of the grade: Neurocrine has a strong franchise drug (Ingrezza for tardive dyskinesia) and a growing pipeline. No negatives surfaced.
Mixed signals here. Seeking Alpha published a bullish piece arguing CF has a structural cost moat vs. European fertilizer producers (cheap U.S. natural gas vs. expensive European gas). However, KeyBanc initiated coverage with an Underweight (bearish), citing supply concerns — presumably new nitrogen capacity coming online globally that could pressure pricing. CF also rose on a day when oil prices spiked (Iran tensions, Sep 8), which tends to lift fertilizer names via higher energy costs for competitors. The KeyBanc call is a real counterpoint to the grade; it's worth monitoring whether nitrogen supply growth actually materializes or stays delayed. For now the grade's valuation and profitability scores are strong, but the supply risk is the thing to watch.
The stock gained 17.2% in 3 months, driven by Private Client Group expansion, strategic acquisitions, and an investment banking recovery. A top-analyst roundup included Raymond James alongside Eli Lilly and Texas Instruments. The article notes "rising expenses and brokerage volatility pose risks." Good momentum, but the grade already reflects the strong financials. No surprise catalyst.
The big context story: Nike was removed from the S&P 100 after losing ~80% of its value over 5 years. Articles explicitly name HOKA (Deckers' running brand) and On Holding as the beneficiaries capturing Nike's lost market share. Deckers' gross margins (56%+) dwarf Nike's (~40%). HOKA grew 7.7% in Q1, with DTC up 13%. BMO initiated cautious/bearish coverage of the athletic sector broadly, but the specific Deckers commentary wasn't available. Deckers beat the stock market on its latest trading day and was flagged as a Q2 earnings outperformer. The Nike collapse is a genuine long-term tailwind for HOKA — this is real market-share transfer, not hype.
The key article is about premium flattening in the E&S (excess & surplus) insurance market hitting Kinsale's stock. The full text wasn't accessible, but the headline alone is worth noting: Kinsale has grown rapidly by writing hard-to-place specialty risks, and if the E&S market softens (more competition, lower pricing), that premium growth engine could slow. CalSTRS bought 8.3M shares and HSBC added $10M — large institutional conviction. Giverny Capital also bought. The risk of a softening E&S market is genuine but the company's low-cost underwriting model gives it staying power even in a softer pricing cycle. This is the main thing to watch for Kinsale going forward.
This is the most news-heavy name this week, and it's all negative. Key facts:
- Revenue fell 4% to ~$2.4B in Q2; comparable sales dropped 10% globally, 12% in North America.
- Management guided Q3 revenue down 10-11%. Full-year EPS guidance slashed from ~$12.10-12.30 to $9.48-9.73.
- Stock dropped 18% post-earnings, now down ~50% YTD and ~75% over 5 years. Trading near $99.
- New CEO Heidi O'Neill (ex-Nike) started September 8 — she has license to reshape the team but a turnaround "will take time" and "the next quarter or two are likely to be rough."
- Michael Burry made LULU his largest position, buying under $100. His thesis: at ~10x forward earnings with $1.4B cash and zero debt, the math works if sales stop declining. He hinted it "may not be public for very much longer" (potential acquisition target). He does NOT claim to have inside information.
- Jim Cramer took the opposite view: "thoroughly broken stock, I can't give you a good reason to buy it."
- BMO dropped its rating, citing market-share losses raising "deeper questions about the turnaround."
- Wellington Management sold 703K shares.
How this connects to the grade: LULU's 87 grade is driven by very strong profitability (56% gross margin), a clean balance sheet, and a compressed valuation. The grade does NOT account for brand deterioration or falling comps — those show up in the growth pillar but are partially offset by the other four. The news is genuinely concerning (repeated guidance cuts, declining comps). The grade and the news disagree here: the numbers say "cheap and profitable," the story says "the brand may be breaking." This is a judgment call for you — Burry sees value, Cramer sees a value trap. The honest answer is nobody knows yet whether the new CEO can turn it around.
A SimplyWallSt piece asks whether IRM is undervalued after a new Saudi bank AI deal. The headline is intriguing but the full article wasn't accessible. Iron Mountain has been pivoting from document storage to data centers, and AI-related contracts could support that pivot. However, the grade of 39 reflects weak fundamentals (likely high debt and stretched valuation for a REIT). One positive data point doesn't fix the structural issues the grade is flagging.
Whirlpool is in serious trouble. Two separate articles flag it:
- The dividend has been suspended (not just cut — gone). Q1 had negative operating cash flow of $827M; Q2 posted an operating loss of -$0.21/share.
- Management issued $2B in secured bonds plus a $2B asset-based lending facility and mandatory convertible preferred stock — emergency-level deleveraging.
- Stock is down ~60% over the past year, ~79% over 5 years.
- Dividend reinstatement would require full-year FCF above $300M and improved housing demand — neither in sight.
The grade of 46 may actually be generous. This is a company fighting for survival, not just a soft patch. The news fully supports the crash-watch flag.
TXNM priced a $400M equity offering (~7.08M shares at $56.50) to repay term debt. This dilutes existing shareholders. The offering is happening before a pending Blackstone transaction closes (details sparse). Balance-sheet repair is good long-term, but issuing equity at potentially depressed prices to pay debt is a sign of financial stress. The crash-watch grade is justified.
Ormat held an Analyst/Investor Day (Sep 9) with 2030 targets. Oppenheimer said the targets imply an achievable rebound in electricity margins to 40%. RBC reaffirmed "Outperform" and positioned Ormat for earnings growth through 2030. JPMorgan also expects the stock price to rise. The analyst sentiment is more positive than the grade suggests — multiple firms see a path to margin recovery. However, the stock dropped 6.9% recently, and the grade reflects current-year fundamentals (likely compressed margins and high capex). The positive analyst calls are a potential bright spot, but recovery is years out, not quarters.
Zacks upgraded NNN REIT to a Buy (Rank #2), citing "growing optimism about earnings prospects." The stock is down 5.2% over 4 weeks. NNN is a net-lease REIT — boring, predictable, interest-rate-sensitive. The upgrade is a modest positive, but the grade of 49 likely reflects valuation stretch or weak growth metrics common in REITs. Not alarming, just mediocre.
Sources that couldn't be fully read: Most Google News redirect links returned only the page shell (a known limitation — Google wraps articles in a redirect that often doesn't yield the full text). Several Yahoo Finance articles also returned only JavaScript/metadata without article body text. Headline-level information was used where the full article wasn't accessible, and this is noted where relevant. The Motley Fool, 247 Wall St, and MarketBeat articles loaded successfully and provided the most substantive reads.
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.
Built with free public data · refreshed every morning at 7:00 AM U.S. Central time.