ZION — the engine's Play of the Day, fully scored
On Tuesday, September 8, 2026, ZION scored in the 99th percentile of Wall Street Analyst's 15-dimension scoring engine with a STRONG BUY signal, at $69.34 at publication, on a suggested horizon of 1–3 months. The full breakdown below is the engine's actual evidence, published the day of the call and graded in public afterward.
ZION lands in the 99th percentile on a fundamentals-led profile: an 88.2 fundamental score anchored by a P/E of 8.9, 25.7% margins, and an A- quant grade with A+ marks in growth and EPS revisions. Earnings momentum is maxed out on eight consecutive beats averaging +21.3% surprise, and smart-money confirmation is unusually deep — a 14-buy insider cluster totaling roughly $45.5M plus positions held by Berkshire, Bridgewater, and Renaissance.
This is a quality setup with the stock near its 52-week high and above key moving averages, framed for a 1-3 month hold to let the valuation and beat-streak thesis get recognized. Next earnings sit 40 days out on 2026-10-19, outside the danger zone at entry.
A loss of the moving-average support that has held the recent 66-70 range, or a break in the beat streak or downward EPS revisions at the October print, would undercut the fundamentals-led case. Note the very bearish put/call ratio (9.77) and 13 unusual-put flags as a divergence from the bullish signal that warrants monitoring.
The full case — all 15 dimensions
Every dimension the engine scored that day, with the actual evidence behind each number — including the ones that argue against the play. The twelve weighted dimensions come first; anything marked a supporting input is scored and shown, but reaches the composite through a capped confirmation bonus rather than a weighted share.
- Attractive P/E (8.9)
- Strong growth (46%)
- Excellent margins (25.7%)
- Quant Grade: A- (85/100)
- Value: A
- Growth: A+
- Profitability: B
- Momentum: B
- Eps Revisions: A+
- Deep value P/E 8.9
- Revenue +54% (explosive)
- Earnings +39%
- Strong beat streak (8 consecutive quarters)
- Positive revision momentum (+0.14)
- Large average earnings surprise (+21.3%)
- Stable positive EPS estimates
- Near 52-week high (87th percentile)
- MACD bullish crossover
- Price above key moving averages
- Insider buying activity (14 buys)
- Held by Berkshire Hathaway (Buffett), Bridgewater Associates (Dalio), Renaissance Technologies (Simons)
- High insider filing activity (20 Form 4s in 30d)
- Reddit mentions via ApeWisdom: 0 in 24h (vs 0 the day before; per-post sentiment n/a)
- StockTwits bullish (bull/bear ratio: 5.0)
- Moderate social media volume (30 total messages)
- Ticker is trending on StockTwits
- Partial coverage: scored on 50% of social sources (confidence scaled accordingly)
- Analyst target $77 vs $69.86 at scoring time (+10% implied)
- Tight target dispersion (high conviction)
- 8Q consecutive earnings beats (avg 21.3% surprise)
- Earnings surprises accelerating
- Insider cluster BUY (cluster feed, 14d window): 24 insiders, $45,519,628
- Very bearish put/call ratio (9.77)
- Unusual PUT activity (13 flags)
- 8 consecutive earnings beats
- avg surprise +21.3%
- EPS trending up
- Scope: OpenInsider Form 4 filings, last 90 days. Starts from a neutral 50 baseline; drivers below adjust it
- 6 C-suite buy(s) totaling $2,209,934 (+25 pts)
- Cluster buy: 6 distinct insiders bought (+20 pts)
- 2 purchase(s) increased ownership by >20% (+10 pts)
- 3 buy(s) >= $500K (total $2,134,063) (+15 pts)
- 22 distinct insiders selling (-20 pts)
- 12 C-suite sell(s) (-20 pts)
A brief like this is generated from the engine's output every trading day. Today's Play is free — get it on the Play of the Day page or read how the 15 dimensions work.
The Play of the Day is the output of a quantitative scoring model, published for educational and informational purposes — it is not personalized investment advice, and Wall Street Analyst is not a registered investment advisor. Markets carry risk; past results don't guarantee future ones. Every decision is yours.