Ticker&TapeThe RS Rating: ranking stocks from 1 to 99
The RS Rating turns a stock's price performance into one number from 1 to 99. It lets you sort thousands of stocks in seconds and focus on the ones the market is already rewarding.
What the number means
The RS Rating is a percentile rank. A rating of 90 means the stock has done better over the past year than 90% of all stocks in the universe. A rating of 30 means 70% of stocks did better.
It is a relative score, not a forecast. It tells you how a stock has performed compared with everything else, and nothing about its price, its earnings or its future on its own.
How it is calculated
The platform measures each stock's price change over the last 12 months, split into four quarters. The most recent quarter counts double, so a stock that is gaining momentum now ranks higher than one whose big move happened a year ago.
Every stock gets a weighted score, all scores are sorted, and each stock receives its percentile from 1 to 99. Because it is relative, the ratings shift every day as stocks rise and fall against each other.
Why leaders are usually 80+
Studies of the biggest winning stocks over many decades, popularized by William O'Neil, found that they typically had RS Ratings of 80 or higher before their big advance began, and many were above 90. Big moves tend to start in stocks that are already outperforming, not in stocks that have been left behind.
That is why many growth traders use 80 as a minimum filter. A stock rated 50 might look cheap, but it is average at best. The screener lets you filter by RS Rating to start your search with stronger names.
Combining the rating with the RS line
The rating and the RS line work best together. The rating is a 12-month snapshot. The line shows the direction right now. A stock rated 85 with a rising RS line is strong and getting stronger. A stock rated 85 with a falling RS line may be a former leader starting to fade.
Watch for ratings that climb fast. A stock moving from 60 to 85 in a few weeks, often after an earnings gap, may be turning into a new leader. Check that its industry group is also strong.
Reading the RS Rating
| 90 to 99 | Top 10% of all stocks; where many big winners come from |
|---|---|
| 80 to 89 | Strong; a common minimum for growth candidates |
| 50 to 79 | Average; needs a clear reason to be interesting |
| Below 50 | Lagging the majority of stocks; usually avoid |
| Weighting | Last 12 months, most recent quarter counts double |
Common mistakes
- Buying a low-rated stock because it looks cheap.
- Treating a high rating as a buy signal without a proper base and pivot.
- Ignoring a falling RS line on a stock that still has a high rating.
- Comparing ratings from different dates as if they were fixed.
Key points
- The RS Rating ranks a stock's 12-month performance from 1 to 99, with the latest quarter weighted double.
- Most big winners had RS Ratings of 80 or higher before their major moves.
- Use the rating with the RS line: the rating is the score, the line is the direction.
On Ticker&Tape today
Live examples from the latest close, updated every trading day. Examples, not recommendations. 2026-10-02
Check what you learned
Answer at least 2 of 3 correctly to complete the lesson.
1. What does an RS Rating of 90 mean?
The RS Rating is a percentile rank of 12-month performance. It is a relative score, not a forecast.
2. Why does the most recent quarter count double in the calculation?
Weighting the latest quarter rewards stocks that are strong right now, which is where new leaders tend to come from.
3. A stock has an RS Rating of 85, but its RS line is falling. What might that mean?
The rating is a 12-month snapshot; the line shows the direction now. A high rating with a falling line can mean leadership is slipping.
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