Question 1

What is Stockoscope?

Accepted Answer

Stockoscope is an educational financial analysis platform designed for individual investors who want to understand the fundamentals behind their investments. Covering more than 3,000 US-listed stocks, it provides institutional-grade analysis tools in an accessible, visual format.

Question 2

Who is Stockoscope for?

Accepted Answer

Anyone who makes their own investment decisions and wants a systematic way to do it. Self-directed investors use Stockoscope to pressure-test ideas across all five dimensions before they buy. Students and newer investors use it to see how professional-grade analysis actually works, with the reasoning shown at every step. Experienced investors use it to screen thousands of stocks quickly, then dig into the numbers behind a thesis. If you would rather understand why a stock scores the way it does than be handed a buy or sell signal, it is built for you.

Question 3

Is Stockoscope free?

Accepted Answer

Yes, there is a permanent Free plan. Every signup starts with a 28-day free trial of Pro, and when it ends you move to Free: three full 5D stock deep-dives every calendar month, the Simple screener (bubble chart included), the full list of more than 3,000 US-listed stocks, one watchlist of up to 10 stocks, the AAPL demo, and News on any stock, all without a card. Upgrade to Pro ($15/mo or $150/yr) anytime for unlimited 5D analysis, the advanced screener with 17 preset strategies, the full Investment Strategies builders, and larger watchlists. Subscribe by August 31, 2026 to lock in the Founding rate of $99/yr for 3 years.

Question 4

What stocks does Stockoscope cover?

Accepted Answer

We cover more than 3,000 US-listed stocks: the S&P 1500 (S&P 500, MidCap 400, SmallCap 600) and the broader Russell 3000. Financial data is refreshed nightly, while analyst estimates and institutional holdings are updated on their respective schedules.

Question 5

What is the 5D Framework?

Accepted Answer

The 5D Framework is our systematic approach to stock analysis that examines every company across five complementary dimensions: Quality (is this a strong business?), Peers (how does it compare to competitors?), Valuation (what could it be worth?), Analysts (what does Wall Street think?), and Holdings (what is smart money doing?). Together, these five lenses reveal the full picture of any stock.

Question 6

How do the five dimensions work together?

Accepted Answer

Each dimension answers a different question about a stock. The real power comes from seeing where dimensions align or diverge. For example, a company might score well on Quality but the valuation models may place its price above their model estimate - high quality and a demanding price can coexist. Or a stock might show weak Quality but strong insider buying, suggesting insiders see a turnaround. The Overview page synthesizes all five scores to highlight these patterns.

Question 7

Do I need to look at all five dimensions?

Accepted Answer

You don’t have to, but each dimension adds valuable context. Quality tells you if the business is fundamentally sound. Peers reveal whether it’s better or worse than competitors. Valuation tells you if the price is reasonable. Analysts show professional consensus, and Holdings reveal what large investors are actually doing with their money. Skipping a dimension means missing part of the picture.

Question 8

Where can I learn more about each dimension?

Accepted Answer

We’ve published detailed guides for each dimension on our blog. See the Stockoscope Knowledge Hub section below for links to the framework overview and a deep dive on each of the five dimensions.

Question 9

How are Business Quality Scores calculated?

Accepted Answer

We evaluate 40 financial metrics organized into 10 fundamental pillars: Returns, Margins, Cash Flow, Growth, Efficiency, Leverage, Valuation Multiples, Dividends, Per-Share Fundamentals, and Liquidity. Each metric is scored 1–5 using market-derived thresholds. Metrics are averaged within pillars, then pillars are combined using importance weights to produce a final score from 1.0 to 5.0. The score analyzes up to 10 years of historical data.

Question 10

What are the 10 quality pillars?

Accepted Answer

Returns (18% weight): ROE, ROA, ROIC, ROCE. Margins (16%): Gross, Operating, EBITDA, Net. Cash Flow (14%): Operating CF margin, FCF margin, FCF yield, Income quality. Growth (12%): Revenue, EBITDA, EBIT, Net Income CAGRs. Efficiency (10%): Asset turnover, DSO, DIO, Cash conversion cycle. Leverage (8%): Interest coverage, D/E, Net Debt/EBITDA, D/Capital. Valuation (8%): P/E, P/B, EV/EBITDA, EV/Sales. Dividends (6%): Yield, payout ratio, coverage, DPS. Per-Share (5%): Revenue, NI, BV, TBV per share CAGRs. Liquidity (3%): Current, Quick, Cash ratios, Working Capital turnover.

Question 11

What is a good Business Quality Score?

Accepted Answer

4.0–5.0 is Excellent: outstanding performance across fundamentals. 3.0–4.0 is Good: strong financials with a solid track record. 2.0–3.0 is Fair: adequate performance that warrants deeper analysis. 1.0–2.0 is Weak: below average with concerning trends. Below 1.0 is Poor: significant financial weaknesses and substantial risks.

Question 12

How is the Overall Score weighted?

Accepted Answer

The 10 pillars receive different weights based on their fundamental importance. Returns (18%) and Margins (16%) carry the most weight because profitability is the foundation of business strength. Cash Flow (14%) and Growth (12%) follow. The remaining pillars, Efficiency (10%), Leverage (8%), Valuation (8%), Dividends (6%), Per-Share (5%), and Liquidity (3%), contribute proportionally less but still provide important context.

Question 13

What is peer analysis and why does it matter?

Accepted Answer

A 15% profit margin might be exceptional for a retailer but mediocre for a software company. Peer analysis solves this by ranking each company against its sector and industry competitors using percentile-based scores across the same 40 metrics. This reveals competitive positioning that absolute numbers alone cannot show.

Question 14

How are peer groups defined?

Accepted Answer

Companies are compared strictly against other stocks in the same market index (e.g. S&P 500 stocks vs other S&P 500 stocks, S&P MidCap 400 vs other MidCap 400 stocks) and the same sector or industry. We do not mix peers across indexes; doing so would compare apples to oranges. If an industry has fewer than 4 same-index peers, we show an 'insufficient peers' notice instead of producing a misleading ranking; the Sector comparison usually still works in those cases.

Question 15

What is the Relative Quality Score?

Accepted Answer

The Relative Quality Score aggregates all peer comparisons into a single 1–5 rating. It takes the same 40 metrics from the 10 quality pillars and converts each to a percentile ranking (0–100th) against peers, then averages them by pillar and applies importance weights. A score of 5.0 means 80–100th percentile (top of peers), while 1.0 means 0–20th percentile (bottom of peers).

Question 16

How do percentile rankings work?

Accepted Answer

Each metric is ranked against all companies in the peer group. A percentile of 75 means the company performs better than 75% of its peers on that metric. The system automatically handles metrics where lower is better (like debt ratios) so that a high percentile always means better performance. Negative values are scored appropriately rather than excluded.

Question 17

How does the DCF model work?

Accepted Answer

Our Discounted Cash Flow model projects a company’s future free cash flows and discounts them to present value. It uses an analyst-consensus-first growth approach with historical CAGR fallback, two-phase growth modeling with exponential tapering for realistic transitions, and company-specific WACC calculated from FMP market data. The result is an estimate of intrinsic value that you can compare against the current market price.

Question 18

What is the DDM model?

Accepted Answer

The Dividend Discount Model estimates a stock’s value based on expected future dividend payments. It automatically selects the most appropriate model based on the company’s dividend characteristics: Gordon Growth (constant growth), Two-Stage (growth transition), or Three-Stage (complex evolution). It’s particularly useful for utilities and mature dividend payers.

Question 19

How is WACC calculated?

Accepted Answer

Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC) combines the cost of equity and cost of debt. Cost of equity uses CAPM: Risk-Free Rate + Beta × Equity Risk Premium + Country Risk Premium. We use Financial Modeling Prep (FMP) market data for company-specific betas, risk premiums, and risk-free rates. Capital structure weights reflect current market-value-based debt and equity weightings from FMP.

Question 20

What valuation multiples do you use?

Accepted Answer

We analyze 5 primary valuation multiples covering both equity and enterprise perspectives: P/E, PEG, FCF Yield, EV/EBITDA, and EV/FCF. Nine of these multiples calculate implied value prices from three perspectives: sector peers (what the stock would be valued at the sector median), own history (10-year median), and forward estimates (analyst projections). PEG is shown as a comparison metric (current vs peers vs history) without deriving implied prices, since it is a compound ratio that can produce misleading implied values. Five additional multiples (P/B, P/S, P/FCF, EV/EBIT, EV/Sales) are available in an expanded section for deeper analysis.

Question 21

Can I adjust the valuation assumptions?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Both DCF and DDM models allow you to override the discount rate and growth rate assumptions. This lets you stress-test the valuation under different scenarios. Small changes in these inputs can significantly impact the result, which is why we show sensitivity tables alongside the base-case estimate.

Question 22

What analyst data does Stockoscope provide?

Accepted Answer

We display professional analyst price targets (consensus, high, low), rating snapshots (buy/hold/sell distribution), historical grade changes (upgrades and downgrades), and forward financial estimates (revenue, earnings, growth forecasts). All data comes from independent research analysts and represents external professional opinions.

Question 23

How should I interpret analyst consensus?

Accepted Answer

Analyst consensus is most useful as one data point among many, not a definitive signal. Consider the number of analysts covering the stock (more coverage = more reliable consensus), the spread between high and low price targets (wide spread = more uncertainty), and the direction of recent rating changes. Be aware of potential biases as analysts at firms with banking relationships may be reluctant to issue sell ratings.

Question 24

What are analyst price targets and how reliable are they?

Accepted Answer

Price targets represent analysts’ estimates of where a stock’s price will be in 12 months. Research shows these are directionally informative but frequently inaccurate in magnitude. The consensus (average) target is more reliable than any individual estimate. We show the full distribution (consensus, high, and low) so you can gauge the range of professional expectations.

Question 25

How does the News dashboard complement analyst data?

Accepted Answer

The News dashboard provides five feeds, including Company News, Press Releases, Price Targets, Analyst Ratings, and Market News, that give context to analyst opinions. Tracking rating changes alongside news helps you understand why analysts are upgrading or downgrading, and press releases reveal the company’s own perspective alongside third-party analysis.

Question 26

What insider and institutional data do you track?

Accepted Answer

We track three categories: Insider Trading Activity (buy/sell ratios, net share flow, transaction volume, flow momentum), Institutional Ownership (net investment flow, ownership percentage, position momentum, put/call hedging ratios), and ETF/Mutual Fund Holdings (share flow, fund count trends, flow momentum, portfolio weights).

Question 27

How do holdings patterns signal investment quality?

Accepted Answer

Sustained insider buying, especially with high volume across multiple quarters, is one of the strongest bullish signals, as insiders have the deepest knowledge of their company. Institutional flows show professional capital commitment. Growing ETF/fund ownership indicates broadening market acceptance. The key is consistency: look for sustained patterns over 2+ quarters rather than isolated transactions.

Question 28

What ETF and mutual fund data is available?

Accepted Answer

We track net share flow (are funds buying or selling?), fund count direction (are more or fewer funds holding this stock?), flow momentum (2-quarter rolling average to filter seasonal noise), and average portfolio weight. Positive share flow combined with growing fund count is the strongest signal. It means existing funds are buying and new funds are entering.

Question 29

How should I read insider trading activity?

Accepted Answer

Read insider activity as a deviation from the stock's own normal pace, not as an absolute number. We compare the latest quarter against the average of the prior six quarters. Routine selling (0.5 to 1.5x the historical average) is neutral, since insiders sell for many personal reasons; selling at 1.5 to 3x is bearish, and 5x or more is an extreme bearish signal. Any insider buying is noteworthy because it is rare and deliberate, and it scores more bullish the larger it is relative to the baseline. Quarters with very little activity are treated with low confidence to avoid reading signal into noise.

Question 30

How does the Stock Screener work?

Accepted Answer

Unlike traditional screeners that produce spreadsheet tables, our screener displays results on interactive logo charts where company logos replace data points. Filter the market using 40+ fundamental metrics across quality, valuation, growth, and profitability. As you apply filters, quality stocks naturally rise and separate from the crowd on the visual scatter plot, making it intuitive to spot opportunities. Filter by sector, exchange, and market index.

Question 31

What are the screener modes?

Accepted Answer

The screener has three modes. Presets offers 17 ready-made screens (for example High Quality Score, Deep Value, and Dividend Growth) that apply a defined filter set in one click. Simple mode offers 10 carefully selected key filters for quick scans, ideal for getting started. Advanced mode unlocks the full suite of 40+ fundamental metrics organized across quality pillars (returns, margins, cash flow, growth, efficiency, leverage), valuation multiples, and dividend metrics. All three modes render results on the same interactive logo charts.

Question 32

What makes the Screener visual and innovative?

Accepted Answer

Traditional screeners output ranked tables. Our visual approach uses interactive scatter plots where each stock is represented by its company logo, plotted against your chosen metrics. This lets you see clusters, outliers, and patterns that tables cannot reveal. Quality companies visually separate from weaker ones, creating an intuitive map of the market. You can zoom, hover for details, and click logos to jump directly to full 5D analysis dashboards.

Question 33

What metrics can I screen by?

Accepted Answer

The full metric suite includes Returns (ROE, ROA, ROIC, ROCE), Margins (Gross, Operating, EBITDA, Net), Cash Flow (Operating CF margin, FCF margin, FCF yield, Income quality), Growth (Revenue, EBITDA, EBIT, Net Income CAGRs), Efficiency (Asset turnover, DSO, DIO, Cash conversion cycle), Leverage (Interest coverage, D/E, Net Debt/EBITDA), Valuation (P/E, P/B, EV/EBITDA, EV/Sales), and Dividends (Yield, Payout ratio, DPS). Each metric can be used as an axis or filter.

Question 34

What are Investment Strategies?

Accepted Answer

Investment Strategies are three transparent, build-your-own investing methods, in Quality, Value, and Dividend tabs. You define the strategy yourself: set which stocks to include (sectors and company size), adjust the filter criteria, and weight the factors that matter to you. The strategy then ranks the whole market into a live score, updating as you move the levers. Every input is disclosed, so you can see exactly why a stock ranks where it does. These are transparent tools, not investment advice, and not buy/sell recommendations.

Question 35

How does the Quality strategy work?

Accepted Answer

The Quality strategy lets you build your own definition of business quality across 10 fundamental pillars covering returns, margins, cash flow, growth, efficiency, and balance-sheet strength. It blends an absolute view of the fundamentals with a peer-relative view (a 70/30 absolute/peer blend by default). Re-weight the pillars to match what you value, and the strategy ranks the market into a live score. The default weights are a disclosed starting point, not a recommendation.

Question 36

How does the Value strategy work?

Accepted Answer

The Value strategy combines four factors you weight yourself, with a disclosed default blend of Multiples 30, Margin of safety 20, Quality 35, and Growth 15. Multiples cover P/E, P/B, and EV/EBITDA; Margin of safety reads DCF upside; Quality keeps durability in view to help avoid value traps; and Growth captures revenue trend. Choose which stocks to include and set the filters, adjust every weight, and the strategy ranks the market into a live score.

Question 37

How does the Dividend strategy work?

Accepted Answer

The Dividend strategy combines four factors you weight yourself, with a disclosed default blend of Yield 20, Growth 35, Safety 30, and Consistency 15. Yield reads current yield, Growth reads the multi-year dividend growth rate, Safety reads payout ratio and cash coverage, and Consistency reads the payment streak and cut history. Adjust every weight and filter, and the strategy ranks the market into a live score.

Question 38

Are these stock picks or recommendations?

Accepted Answer

No. Investment Strategies are transparent tools, not investment advice. There are no curated picks, no verdicts, and no performance or track-record claims. You choose which stocks to include, the filters, and the factor weights yourself; the defaults are a disclosed starting point, not a recommendation. The result is a ranked score that reflects your own criteria, with every input shown so you can understand why a stock ranks where it does.

Question 39

What is the Stocks page?

Accepted Answer

The Stocks page is a visual browsing tool that displays stocks as company cards with logos, a 12-month price sparkline, and a compact 5D scorecard (Quality, Peers, Valuation, Analysts, and Holdings) right on the card. You can filter by sector, market cap category, and market index, and sort by market cap, the individual 5D dimension scores, price momentum, dividend yield, and more. Tap the heart on any card to save it to a watchlist, or click the card to open its full 5D analysis.

Question 40

How do Watchlists work?

Accepted Answer

Create themed watchlists to organize stocks you’re tracking, for example, “Tech Growth” or “Dividend Income.” Add any stock from the platform, rename or delete lists as needed, and sort by name, date, or stock count. Each watchlist gives you quick access to company dashboards for deeper analysis. The Free plan includes one watchlist of up to 10 stocks; Pro unlocks up to 10 watchlists, 20 stocks each.

Question 41

What is the News dashboard?

Accepted Answer

The News dashboard centralizes five types of financial news for any stock: Company News (articles and analysis), Press Releases (official company statements), Price Targets (analyst target updates), Analyst Ratings (upgrades, downgrades, and rating changes), and Market News (broader financial developments).

Question 42

How does the revenue flow diagram work?

Accepted Answer

The revenue flow diagram (Sankey chart) visualizes how money flows through a company, from revenue through cost of goods, operating expenses, interest, and taxes, to net income. It instantly reveals a company’s economic structure: wide profit bands indicate strong margins, while thin flows highlight where money is being consumed.

Question 43

How do I create an account?

Accepted Answer

Click “Sign Up” in the top right corner, enter your email address and create a password. You’ll receive a verification email; click the link to confirm your account and start using the platform immediately. Every new account includes a 28-day free trial of Pro.

Question 44

How do I cancel or get a refund?

Accepted Answer

Cancel anytime from Account → Billing, which opens the Stripe Customer Portal, with no email or back-and-forth required. After your first paid charge, we honour a 14-day refund window. Cancellation outside that window stops the next renewal and you keep paid access until the end of the cycle you’ve already paid for. If you cancel during your trial, no charge applies.

Question 45

Where does your data come from?

Accepted Answer

Financial statements come from Financial Modeling Prep (FMP) and SEC EDGAR filings, and FMP’s market data also supplies risk premiums, company-specific betas, and cost-of-capital inputs. Every source is documented on our Data Sources page.

Question 46

How often is data updated?

Accepted Answer

Core financial data (income statements, balance sheets, cash flows, ratios) is refreshed every night. Analyst estimates, insider transactions, and institutional holdings are updated on their respective schedules as new data becomes available from our providers. Stock prices reflect end-of-day values.

Question 47

Charts not loading or performance issues?

Accepted Answer

Try refreshing your browser and clearing your cache. Make sure you’re using a supported browser such as Chrome, Safari, or Edge. For best performance, use Chrome or Firefox with hardware acceleration enabled. Disabling browser extensions that might interfere can also help. If issues persist, contact us through the form below.

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