A conviction score is a single rating out of 100 that aggregates several families of financial signals (earnings, price trend, insider activity, balance sheet quality, valuation) to show how strongly these signals converge in the same direction on a stock.
Why condense multiple signals into one number?
Analyzing a stock by hand means cross-referencing dozens of data points: earnings surprises, RSI, P/E ratio, Piotroski F-Score, insider buying... Each data point in isolation tells only part of the story, and sometimes contradicts another. A conviction score weights each family of signals (a "cluster") and combines them mathematically, delivering one readable number instead of fifteen indicators to interpret separately.
How is a conviction score calculated?
The most robust method aggregates several independent clusters, each weighted according to its predictive power, then applies a quality filter that can reduce the final score if the company is financially fragile — even when the other signals look good.
The quality cluster works differently from the others: instead of adding to the total, it acts as a global multiplier. A company with excellent signals everywhere else but a fragile balance sheet will see its final score trimmed down — strong momentum should never offset a real bankruptcy risk.
Does a high conviction score guarantee a gain?
No. A high conviction score means several independent signals converge at the same time, which statistically increases the probability of future performance — but no scoring method predicts the market with certainty. It remains a decision-support tool, not a guarantee.
How should conviction score thresholds be read?
Scores are generally translated into signals through tiers:
These tiers should never be followed blindly: they come with guardrail rules, for example never triggering a sell signal on a single insider sale alone, or never validating a buy signal if the company shows high bankruptcy risk.
How does InvestIQ use a conviction score?
The InvestIQ Score applies this multi-factor logic: five clusters (earnings catalyst, momentum, smart money, quality, valuation) are calculated deterministically from real market data, then combined with a quality multiplier based on the Piotroski F-Score. The result is a 0-100 rating paired with a BUY, HOLD, or SELL signal, which the InvestIQ assistant explains in plain language without ever improvising a number — the score always comes from the scoring engine, never from an AI estimate. You can test this calculation on your own portfolio via the free audit or dig into a specific stock with how to analyze a stock.
To go deeper on the quality filter mechanics, see also the Piotroski F-Score explained.
This is not investment advice.