Frequently Asked Questions

The Q Factor is an investment analysis platform that combines:

• Quantitative analysis (70%): Established financial health indicators from audited statements
• Qualitative analysis (30%): Proprietary assessment of management quality and strategic analysis of annual reports, assessing management confidence, strategy clarity, and growth outlook

We produce a combined "Q Score" from 0-100 to help investors quickly assess company fundamentals.

The Q Score is our combined rating from 0-100:

• 85-100 (STRONG): Strong fundamentals across most metrics
• 64-84 (MODERATE): Mixed signals; some strengths, some concerns
• 0-53 (WEAK): Significant concerns identified in analysis

When quantitative and qualitative scores differ significantly (more than 15 points), we flag this as a divergence:

• Qual > Quant: Management's outlook is more positive than current financials suggest. Could indicate a turnaround.
• Quant > Qual: Numbers are strong but management sounds cautious. May signal emerging challenges.

These divergences often precede significant changes in a company's trajectory.

To export any company analysis as a PDF:

• Open the company analysis page
• Click the "Export PDF" button in the top right
• Your browser's print dialog will open
• Select "Save as PDF" as the destination
• Click Save

The PDF includes a timestamp showing when the report was generated. All collapsible sections will be expanded automatically for complete export.

Our quantitative score assesses financial health using established metrics including profitability, leverage, growth, and valuation indicators from audited financial statements.

Each company is evaluated against sector benchmarks and historical patterns. The specific weightings and thresholds are part of our proprietary methodology developed over 7 years of research.

Metric colours are determined by comparing each company against its sector peers — not against fixed thresholds. A P/E ratio of 25 might be attractive in one sector but expensive in another.

Green indicates the metric is in the top quartile for the company's sector. Red indicates the bottom quartile. Neutral means the metric falls within the middle range.

We group companies into 13 sectors aligned with global industry classification standards. Banks are additionally benchmarked against banking peers on industry-specific metrics such as NIM and CET1. Hover over any metric value to see the sector median and peer count.

Strong metrics do not necessarily mean a good investment. Sector context is one lens among many — always consider the broader picture.

Our analysts systematically review annual and interim reports to assess management quality and strategic direction.

We evaluate multiple qualitative factors including communication clarity, forward guidance, and management accountability. The specific assessment criteria are part of our proprietary methodology.

Growth Outlook: Forward-looking statements about expansion

Competitive Position: Discussion of market position and advantages

Our data comes from publicly available sources:

• Financial Data: Market data providers and company filings
• Annual Reports: Company investor relations websites
• Price Data: Real-time market feeds

We track management's forward guidance over multiple years. When we observe changes in guidance patterns, this may be associated with:

• Operational stress — Business fundamentals may be deteriorating faster than management expected
• Over-optimism — New leadership or challenging conditions leading to unrealistic guidance
• Execution breakdown — Organisational changes affecting delivery capability
• External disruption — Competitive or market shifts management didn't anticipate

This is not a prediction — it's a framework for further research. Credibility patterns are one input among many in investment analysis.

While we strive for accuracy, please note:

• Our qualitative analysis represents a systematic interpretation, not a guarantee
• Financial data may have delays from source providers
• Markets are inherently unpredictable
• Past performance does not indicate future results

We encourage users to verify information and conduct their own research.

Our universe is criteria-based, not count-based. We do not target a fixed number of companies. Instead, every company must pass three admission gates before we include it in our coverage.

Gate 1 — Market Capitalisation

Minimum market cap floors ensure we cover companies where meaningful capital flows: US ≥ US$1B, ASX ≥ A$50M, SGX ≥ S$100M, NZX ≥ NZ$30M. These thresholds filter out micro-shells and dormant listings while keeping the net wide enough to catch emerging mid-caps.

Gate 2 — Trading Liquidity

Every company must demonstrate average daily turnover of at least $6,000. This protects you from receiving a strong Q Score on a stock you cannot realistically trade in size. If you cannot enter or exit a $30,000 position within a week, the analysis — however accurate — has limited practical value.

Gate 3 — Report Quality (non-negotiable)

This is the gate that matters most. A company's annual report must contain substantive narrative content — a chairman's letter, CEO review, strategy discussion, operational commentary, and forward outlook. Without this, our qualitative analysis (which forms 30% of the Q Score) cannot produce reliable results. We would rather exclude a company honestly than produce a thin, unreliable score.

This gate is why you will not find certain types of companies in our universe: pre-revenue mining explorers with compliance-only reports, listed investment companies whose “annual reports” are fund performance summaries, shell companies awaiting reverse takeovers, and foreign dual-listings that report to the SEC rather than in ASX/NZX format.

How we prioritise new additions

When expanding coverage, we do not add companies at random. New candidates are scored on a combination of market capitalisation (larger companies first), sector quality (sectors with richer operational narrative score higher), and trading liquidity (higher investor interest). This means a $5 billion industrial company with a 60-page annual report gets covered before a $60 million gold explorer with a 15-page compliance document.

Currently this produces a universe of approximately 590+ companies across the US, ASX, SGX and NZX — and growing weekly as our automated screening pipeline identifies and validates new candidates.

Some reports carry a small disclosure badge:

• Micro-cap: The company's market capitalisation is below our standard floor for its exchange. The analysis is complete and accurate, but the company is smaller than what most institutional investors would consider.
• Low liquidity: The company's average daily trading volume may make it difficult to enter or exit a meaningful position quickly. This does not affect the quality of our analysis, but is relevant if you are considering a position of $30,000 or more.

These flags do not change the Q Score or any part of the analysis. They are transparency disclosures to help you make fully informed decisions.

Yes! We offer a 7-day free trial. You'll have access to:

• View company analyses
• Basic dashboard features

If you haven't received an email from us:

• Check your spam/junk folder — emails sometimes get filtered
• Look for emails from [email protected]
• Add our email to your contacts to prevent future filtering
• Wait a few minutes — emails can sometimes be delayed
• Try requesting a new email (resend verification or password reset)

Still having issues? Contact us at [email protected]

Yes, you can cancel at any time:

• You'll retain access until the end of your current billing period
• No further charges will be made
• You can resubscribe anytime

Each single report provides our complete Pro-level analysis:

• Q Score & Rating — Integrated investment rating
• Score Trajectory — Historical performance and score trends
• Executive Summary — High-level summary of the research findings
• Financial Metrics — Quantitative Audit: P/E, ROE, Debt, and more
• Dive Dive Scores — Five-Dimensional Scoring based on company fundamentals
• Management Credibility — Longitudinal tracking of execution consistency
• Forward Guidance Audit — Outlook on revenue, margins, and capital allocation
• Red Flags tracking — Risk Oversight (New vs. Resolved)
• Decision Framework — Evidence-based Bull and Bear cases
• PDF Export — Professional archival report for your records

Report credits are valid for 6 months from purchase.

Credits give you access to full company analysis reports:

• Single report: $199 per report
• 3-Pack: $499 (~$166/report, save $100)
• 5-Pack: $799 (~$160/report, save $196)
• 10-Pack: $1,490 (~$149/report, save $500)

Each credit unlocks the complete current-year analysis for one company, including Q Score, management credibility, key insights, red flags, and forward guidance.

All prices in USD. Credits are valid for 6 months from purchase.

No. The Q Factor provides information and analysis for educational purposes only.

We do not:

• Recommend specific investments
• Provide personalised financial advice
• Guarantee investment returns

Always consult a licensed financial adviser before making investment decisions.

Please visit Terms for more information