Frequently asked questions.

Maz Vantage is a stock analysis platform. It rates every covered stock with the Maz score, a sector-relative rating from 1 to 5, and adds Shariah compliance screening, full financial statements, valuation and growth metrics, analyst forecasts, insider activity and side-by-side peer comparisons.

Individual investors who want institutional-style analysis without building their own models: people comparing stocks within a sector, looking for a quick read on valuation, growth and financial health, or checking whether a stock is Shariah compliant.

Yes. Stock pages, the Maz score, the screener and Shariah screening are free to browse. Creating a free account lets you build a personal watchlist and track the Maz score of the stocks you follow.

No. Maz Vantage provides data and quantitative ratings for educational and research purposes only. Ratings such as Buy or Sell describe how a stock ranks against its sector peers, not a personal recommendation. Always do your own research or consult a licensed financial advisor before investing.

The Maz score is a quantitative rating from 1 to 5 that measures how a stock ranks against the other companies in its sector. A score close to 5 means the stock ranks near the top of its sector across the measured factors; a score close to 1 means it ranks near the bottom.

Each financial metric is ranked against every stock in the same sector and converted into a percentile. Metrics are grouped into five factors: Valuation, Growth, Profitability, Financial Health and Momentum. Each factor is re-ranked within the sector, the factors are combined into a composite with Momentum carrying double weight, and the composite percentile is mapped to a score between 1 and 5.

Because what counts as cheap or profitable depends on the industry. A price-to-earnings ratio of 25 can be cheap for a software company and expensive for a utility. Ranking each stock only against its own sector makes the score comparable across very different businesses.

They are labels derived from the Maz score: Strong Buy for a score of 4 or more, Buy from 3 to 4, Hold from 2 to 3, and Sell below 2. They summarize the stock's rank within its sector and are not personal investment recommendations.

Factor grades are the scores of each of the five factors behind the Maz score: Valuation, Growth, Profitability, Financial Health and Momentum. They show why a stock has its overall score, for example a strong Profitability grade offset by a weak Valuation grade.

Scores are recalculated sector by sector on a regular schedule from the latest available financial data. Each new calculation is saved, so you can compare a stock's factor grades with their level 3 and 6 months ago.

Each stock is screened against five Islamic finance standards: AAOIFI, S&P Global, Dow Jones Islamic Market, MSCI Islamic and FTSE Shariah. Each standard compares financial ratios such as interest-bearing debt, cash and interest-bearing securities, receivables and non-compliant income to a maximum limit. The overall status shown on each stock is based on AAOIFI, the most widely accepted standard.

A ratio passes when its value is strictly below the limit set by the standard, for example debt below 30% of the 36-month average market capitalization for AAOIFI. A stock is compliant under a standard only if every ratio of that standard passes.

The standards use different limits and different bases. AAOIFI and S&P Global divide by the 36-month average market capitalization, Dow Jones uses a 24-month average, while MSCI and FTSE divide by total assets. A company with high market value but a large balance sheet can therefore pass some standards and fail others.

The screening on Maz Vantage covers the financial ratios of each standard. It does not replace a full review of the company's business activities, such as alcohol, gambling or conventional finance, which investors should verify separately.

Prices, financial statements, ratios, analyst estimates and insider transactions come from Financial Modeling Prep, a professional financial data provider. The Maz score and Shariah screening are calculated by Maz Vantage from this data.

Open any stock and go to the Peers tab. It compares the stock with its largest competitors side by side: company profile, price performance over periods from 1 day to 10 years, Maz scores, factor grades, income statement, balance sheet and cash flow.

Financial statements are reported in the currency the company uses for its accounts. For example, Taiwan Semiconductor reports in Taiwanese dollars. Maz Vantage flags these columns so the figures are not mistaken for US dollar amounts.

Create a free account, then add stocks from your dashboard search or with the star button on any stock page. Your dashboard shows each stock's price, daily change and Maz score, plus your top movers and sector mix.