Value Line University

Timeliness Rank

One way Value Line ranks stocks is by their expected price performance relative to all other of the approximately 1,700 stocks Value Line follows, over the coming six to 12 months. The Timeliness rank identifies those stocks followed in The Value Line Investment Survey which are likely to have the best relative performance.

All of the approximately 1,700 stocks Value Line tracks in The Value Line Investment Survey are ranked in relationship to each other, from 1 (the highest rank) to 5 (the lowest rank). Stocks ranked 1 and 2 are expected to show stronger price performance than the remaining stocks, while those ranked 4 and 5 are likely to underperform or have weaker price performance.

At any given time

100 stocks are ranked 1
300 stocks are ranked 2
900 (approximately) stocks are ranked 3
300 stocks are ranked 4
100 stocks are ranked 5

Relative earnings and price growth over the past 10 years is the major factor in determining Timeliness. Companies whose earnings growth over the past 10 years has been greater than the increase in their stocks' prices tend to be ranked 1 or 2. Other factors that influence the Timeliness rankings are stock price momentum, quarterly earnings performance, and earnings surprises.

Stocks ranked 1 and 2 for timeliness can be more volatile than the market in general, and frequently are stocks of smaller companies.

Using Timeliness ranks as a factor in choosing stocks

History of performance of the Timeliness ranks

How Timeliness ranks change