Companies qualify by growing every quarter, and rank by how steadily they do it.
Growth is measured on a same-quarter basis — each fiscal quarter against the same quarter one year earlier — so seasonality never distorts the reading. A year-over-year point only exists when both quarters are positive; other quarters show as gaps in the charts, never as zeros.
To qualify at a growth bar, all five must pass
- Median YoY growth at or above the bar.
- Latest quarter no more than 5 points below the bar.
- Enough quarters at or above the bar — at least 70% for the 15%+ bar, 65% for 20%+, 55% for 30%+.
- 10th-percentile YoY reading at or above zero.
- At most one negative quarter in the window.
How the 0–100 score adds up
| Weight | Component | Measured as |
|---|
| 40% | Quarters above the bar | Share of the window's quarters at or above the bar. |
| 25% | Smoothness | 1 − σ/35, where σ is the standard deviation of the YoY readings in percentage points (35pp or more scores zero). |
| 20% | Pace | Median YoY, scaled from 5 points below the bar to 10 above. |
| 15% | Latest quarter | Latest YoY, scaled from 5 points below the bar to 15 above. |
Worked example — MercadoLibre, Inc. (MELI), #1 on this list
- 35 of 40 quarters at or above 30% → 35 of 40 pts
- Typical swing (σ) 22.5pp → 8.9 of 25 pts
- Median YoY 42.2% → 20 of 20 pts
- Latest quarter 49% YoY → 15 of 15 pts
Score: 79 of 100
The 3-, 5-, and 10-year windows score the most recent 12, 20, and 40 same-quarter YoY readings, and need at least 10, 16, or 28 valid readings respectively — below that, the score is N/A rather than an estimate. Missing data is never filled in. The valuation multiple on each card (P/S for revenue, P/E for EPS, P/OCF, EV/EBITDA, P/FCF) is context only — it never affects qualification, score, or rank. More on our methodology →
