How the Recommendation Is Calculated

Every stock gets a single 0–100 composite score and a recommendation label. The score is a weighted average of seven categories, each scored out of 100. Separately, three independent valuation models estimate a fair value. Nothing here is investment advice — it's a transparent, rules-based scorecard so you can see exactly why a stock ranks where it does.

Composite & labels 7 categories Business Quality Growth Financial Health Valuation Earnings Quality Momentum Analyst Valuation models

The Composite Score

Each category produces a score from 0–100. The composite is the weighted sum, rounded to a whole number:

composite = round( Σ (category_score × category_weight) ÷ 100 )

The seven weights:

CategoryWeightWhat it measures
Business Quality25%Returns on capital, margins, track-record depth
Growth Track Record20%Multi-year EPS / revenue / FCF / book-value growth
Valuation20%Upside vs. the three fair-value models
Financial Health15%Leverage, coverage, liquidity
Earnings Quality10%Cash backing of earnings, PEG, ROE
Momentum & Technicals5%RSI, moving-average trend, 1-year return
Analyst Consensus5%Street rating, target upside, coverage breadth

Missing data scores 0 for that line item rather than being skipped, so thinly-covered stocks naturally score lower (a deliberate conservatism).

Score → label

CompositeLabelStars
85–100STRONG BUY⭐⭐⭐
70–84BUY⭐⭐
55–69WATCHLIST
40–54HOLD⚠️
25–39CAUTION
0–24AVOID🚫

The Seven Categories

Each category is the average of its line items (each scored 0–10), rescaled to 0–100. Thresholds below show the value needed to earn each point level — a stock that beats the top threshold gets the full 10, and it steps down from there.

1 · Business Quality 25%

How good is the underlying business at turning capital into profit?

MetricFull marks (10)Scoring steps
ROIC≥ 25%25→10, 20→9, 15→8, 10→7, 5→4, else 2
Gross Margin≥ 60%60→10, 40→8, 25→6, 15→4, else 2
Operating Margin≥ 25%25→10, 15→8, 10→6, 5→4, else 2
FCF Margin≥ 20%20→10, 12→8, 7→6, 3→4, else 2
Data Longevity5 / 5 yrsdepth of usable financial history (5y→10 … 1y→2)

2 · Growth Track Record 20%

Has the company compounded over the long run — and consistently?

MetricFull marks (10)Scoring steps
EPS CAGR 5Y≥ 20%each: 20→10, 15→9, 10→8, 7→6, 4→4, else 2
Revenue CAGR 5Y≥ 20%
BVPS CAGR 5Y≥ 20%
FCF CAGR 5Y≥ 20%
Consistency (3Y & 5Y)4 / 4count of metrics with both 3Y and 5Y CAGR ≥ 10%
Rule #1 Passes5 / 5Phil Town's "big 5" (ROIC, EPS, sales, equity, FCF all growing)

3 · Financial Health 15%

Can the balance sheet survive a downturn?

MetricFull marks (10)Scoring steps
Debt / Equity< 0.3x<0.3→10, <0.7→8, <1.2→6, <2.0→4, else 1
Interest Coverage≥ 15x15→10, 8→8, 5→6, 3→4, 1→2
Current Ratio≥ 3.03→10, 2→9, 1.5→7, 1.0→5, 0.8→3
Debt / EBITDA< 1x<1→10, <2→8, <3→6, <5→3, else 1

4 · Valuation 20%

Is it cheap relative to the three fair-value models (see below)?

MetricFull marks (10)Scoring steps (by % upside)
DCF Upside≥ 50%each: +50→10, +30→9, +15→7, 0→5, −15→3, −30→1
Comps Upside≥ 50%
EPV / Graham Upside≥ 50%
Below Margin-of-Safety priceYes = 10price ≤ DCF margin-of-safety price
Models Agree3 / 3# of models showing positive upside (3→10, 2→7, 1→4)

5 · Earnings Quality 10%

Are the earnings real (cash-backed) and reasonably priced for the growth?

MetricFull marks (10)Scoring steps
EPS PositiveEPS > 0positive trailing EPS = 10, else 0
FCF / Net Income≥ 1.2x1.2→10, 0.9→8, 0.7→6, 0.5→4, else 2 (cash converts to profit)
PEG Ratio< 0.8<0.8→10, <1.2→8, <2.0→5, else 2
ROE≥ 30%30→10, 20→8, 15→7, 10→5, else 2

6 · Momentum & Technicals 5%

A light technical overlay — rewards healthy, non-overheated trends.

MetricBest scoreScoring steps
RSI (14)30–40 → 1040–60→8, 30–40→10, 60–70→6, >70→3 (overbought), else 4
MA50 / MA200> 1.05 → 10>1.05→10, >1.0→7, >0.95→4, else 2 (uptrend = above)
1-Year Return≥ 30% → 1030→10, 15→8, 0→6, −10→4, −25→2

7 · Analyst Consensus 5%

What does Wall Street think — and how many are even watching?

MetricFull marks (10)Scoring steps
Analyst Upside≥ 30%vs. mean target: 30→10, 15→8, 5→6, 0→4, −10→2
Analyst RatingStrong BuyStrong Buy→10, Buy/Overweight→8, Hold→5, Underperform→2, Sell→1
# of Analysts≥ 2020→10, 10→8, 5→6, 2→4, 1→2 (coverage breadth)

The Three Valuation Models

The Valuation category and the per-stock "fair value" come from three independent models. Each is computed, sanity-checked against the current price, and discarded if implausible. "Upside" = (fair value − price) ÷ price.

Model 1 · Discounted Cash Flow (DCF)

Projects free cash flow forward 10 years and discounts it back to today.

WACC = risk-free rate (≈4.5%) + β × 5% equity-risk-premium  (floored at 8.5%, capped at 28%)
Growth = blend of EPS (40%), FCF (35%) & revenue (25%) CAGRs, each = 70%×5Y + 30%×3Y

Model 2 · Comparable Companies (Comps)

Values the stock off the median multiples of its peers.

Methods: P/E · EV/EBITDA · P/Sales · P/FCF  →  trimmed average of the four

Model 3 · Earnings Power Value + Graham

A conservative "no-growth" floor blended with Ben Graham's classic formula.

EPV = NOPAT ÷ WACC  (NOPAT = operating income × 79%)
Graham = √( 22.5 × EPSttm × BVPS )
Model 3 = average of EPV and Graham (when both are available)

A low EPV/Graham value relative to price usually means the market is pricing in growth that this floor ignores by design. Plausibility window: 0.03×–8× price.

Combined Signal

All thresholds are fixed, rules-based, and applied identically to every stock. This is an educational screening tool, not investment advice — always do your own research.