Methodology
How the research gets made.
ValueStock exists to bring the discipline of institutional equity research to independent investors — at a fraction of the cost, and on a reliable schedule. Here is exactly how a report comes together, and what our ratings mean.
1. Screening for candidates
Every report starts with a disciplined screen. We look for durable businesses trading at a defensible valuation: strong returns on capital, sensible balance sheets, honest capital allocation, and a price that offers a margin of safety. Most candidates never become a report — that is the point.
2. We analyze it the way value investors do
Our work is grounded in the enduring principles of value investing — the framework Benjamin Graham set out and Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger refined, together with the lessons of Joel Greenblatt, Philip Fisher, and Peter Lynch. From the primary filings and audited financials we build the case the way they taught: understand the business first, insist on a durable competitive advantage, judge management by its capital allocation, estimate what the company is truly worth, and only buy at a meaningful discount to that worth — a margin of safety. The financial model, the valuation bridge, the moat analysis, and the risk register all flow from that discipline, not from chasing the tape.
3. A human analyst reviews and signs off
No report is published on autopilot. A human analyst pressure-tests the thesis, checks the numbers against the source filings, challenges the assumptions in the model, and makes sure the bear case is argued as honestly as the bull case. Nothing goes out until a person is willing to put the firm's name on it.
4. Published on a strict cadence
We commit to at least 20 reports a year — a new report every two weeks. Consistency is part of the product: you should never wonder whether research is coming.
Our standards
Our research team works only from primary sources and holds every report to the same bar: a thesis that can be argued, a model that can be checked, and risks stated plainly. We accept no payment from the companies we cover, and we disclose any position or conflict in the report itself. If the evidence changes, our view changes with it.
Our rating scale
Three honest verdicts.
The thesis is well-supported, the margin of safety is real, and the risks are understood and acceptable.
A credible opportunity, but with a meaningful open question — valuation, execution, or a live risk.
Interesting company, but the price, the balance sheet, or the risk profile keeps us on the sidelines.
Our ratings describe conviction in a thesis at a point in time and price. They are not personalized recommendations and do not account for your circumstances. ValueStock is independent research for informational purposes only — not investment advice, and not an offer to buy or sell any security. See our full disclosures.