Period 18 Review: A Single Stock's 35% Surge Vaults Quality Growth Back to the Top as Benchmarks Stall

Period 18 covers August 8 to August 15, 2026 — a far quieter week than the record-breaking spread of Period 17. Four screens closed positive and three negative, with the gap between best and worst narrowing to 6.02 percentage points — Quality Growth at +5.14% and Lunch at −0.88% — well inside Period 17's 9.93-point record. Both benchmarks stalled near flat after their strongest period of the journal one week earlier: the S&P 500 gained just +0.36% and the NASDAQ +0.14%.

The period's defining move was a single position: SNDK (Sandisk) surged +35.38% inside Quality Growth's nine-name book, single-handedly lifting the screen to the best result of the period and ending its three-period losing streak in one move. Magic Formula (+1.35%), Piotroski F-Score (+0.88%), and CANSLIM Rocket (+0.85%) all posted modest gains, while Burry Value Screen (−0.45%), Schloss Dividend (−0.63%), and Lunch (−0.88%) slipped into the red — a much more evenly split period than the mining-driven bunching of Period 17.

Period 18 Returns: One Stock Carries Quality Growth to the Top

Quality Growth led by a wide margin at +5.14%, more than three and a half points clear of second-place Magic Formula's +1.35%. Piotroski F-Score added +0.88% and CANSLIM Rocket +0.85%, both modest but positive third and fourth straight readings in the black for Piotroski. Burry Value Screen, Schloss Dividend, and Lunch all closed slightly negative, with Lunch's −0.88% the weakest result of the period.

Quality Growth's +5.14% was overwhelmingly driven by SNDK (Sandisk), which surged +35.38%, from $1,212.21 to $1,641.11, contributing approximately +3.93 percentage points at the screen's 11.11% equal weight — the largest single-position contribution the journal has recorded, surpassing SEZL's −2.64-point drag from Period 17. RDDT (Reddit) added +10.14% (+1.13 points) and SEZL itself partially recovered from that same collapse, rising +9.27% (+1.03 points). PAYS (Paysign) gained +5.53% (+0.61 points) and FICO (Fair Isaac) added +4.26% (+0.47 points), snapping a two-period losing streak that ran −9.25% in Period 16 and −7.26% in Period 17. Against these, APP (AppLovin) fell a third straight period at −9.04% (−1.00 points) and NBIX (Neurocrine Biosciences) declined a fourth straight period at −6.54% (−0.73 points). Five of nine retained positions closed positive. FSM and MNTN enter the screen for Period 19, growing Quality Growth from nine to eleven names — its largest single-period expansion of the journal.

One position, held at an 11% weight, was worth more to Quality Growth's result than the other eight combined. A single outsized move can end a losing streak and reorder the cumulative standings just as decisively as a broad sector rally can.

Magic Formula's +1.35% was led by TNK (Teekay Tankers), which gained +10.20%, from $77.25 to $85.13, contributing approximately +0.85 percentage points at the screen's 8.33% weight. INSW (International Seaways) added +5.02% (+0.42 points) and DHT (DHT Holdings) rose +4.05% (+0.34 points). DRD (DRDGold) gained +2.37% (+0.20 points), the same name lifting both Burry and CANSLIM this period. Against these, DDS (Dillard's) fell −8.37% (−0.70 points), the screen's largest single drag. Eight of twelve retained positions closed positive, one was flat. ADMA, BLBD, and CENX all enter the screen for Period 19, growing Magic Formula from twelve to fifteen names — a sharp rebound after Period 17 shed four of thirteen positions.

Piotroski's +0.88% was led by GASS (StealthGas), which gained +10.13%, from $8.59 to $9.46, contributing approximately +0.72 percentage points at the screen's 7.14% weight — a full reversal of its Period 17 decline of −3.70%. DDI (DoubleDown Interactive) added +8.94% (+0.64 points) and IPI (Intrepid Potash) rose +5.08% (+0.36 points), extending its own Period 17 gain of +2.62%. Against these, LUXE fell −5.68% (−0.41 points), the screen's largest drag and a name that also weighed on CANSLIM this period, and IIPR (Innovative Industrial Properties) declined −5.36% (−0.38 points). Five of eleven retained positions closed positive. ASC, GLOB, and GROY all exited at the sell fee; VFF (Village Farms) enters the screen for Period 19, shrinking Piotroski from fourteen to twelve names.

CANSLIM Rocket's +0.85% was led by LRCX (Lam Research), which gained +6.75%, from $311.35 to $332.36, contributing approximately +0.34 percentage points at the screen's 5% weight. CLS (Celestica) added +5.42% (+0.27 points), rebounding from Period 17's −4.11% decline, and ANET (Arista Networks) rose +5.38% (+0.27 points) in its first period on the screen. BE (Bloom Energy) gained +4.83% (+0.24 points) and FIX (Comfort Systems USA) added +4.69% (+0.23 points), also reversing its own Period 17 loss. Against these, AVGO (Broadcom) fell −8.13% (−0.41 points), the screen's largest drag, and HALO (Halozyme Therapeutics) declined −4.33% (−0.22 points), giving back a third of its Period 17 surge of +24.93%. Eleven of seventeen retained positions closed positive. ERO, MPWR, and MU all exited at the sell fee; ETON (Eton Pharmaceuticals), GLBE (Global-E Online), and INOD (Innodata) enter the screen for Period 19, keeping CANSLIM at twenty names.

Burry Value's −0.45% was led by TDW (Tidewater), which gained +13.81%, from $82.84 to $94.28, contributing approximately +0.35 percentage points at the screen's 2.56% weight. HL (Hecla Mining) added +9.02% (+0.23 points), cooling from Period 17's +19.33%, and RELY (Remitly Global) rose +7.70% (+0.20 points). Against these, DOCS (Doximity) fell −9.49% (−0.24 points), giving back most of Period 17's record +31.04% surge, and UTHR (United Therapeutics) declined −7.26% (−0.19 points). Sixteen of thirty-nine retained positions closed positive, one was flat, and twenty-two closed negative — the broadest-based decline of any screen this period. DDS and INSW enter the screen for Period 19, growing Burry from thirty-nine to forty-one names, continuing its rapid expansion from thirty-two names just two periods ago.

Schloss Dividend's −0.63% saw CHRD (Chord Energy) lead in its first full period on the screen, gaining +4.55%, from $131.35 to $137.32, contributing approximately +0.38 percentage points at the screen's 8.33% weight. VSNT (Visionary Education Technology) added +2.53% (+0.21 points). Against these, PLGO fell −4.75% (−0.40 points), the screen's largest drag and a name shared with Lunch, and GGB (Gerdau) declined −4.05% (−0.34 points). Three of eleven retained positions closed positive. AGO (Assured Guaranty) exited at the sell fee after just a single period on the screen; no new names entered, shrinking Schloss from twelve to eleven — its first contraction after two straight periods of growth.

Lunch's −0.88% was led by CVE (Cenovus Energy), which gained +9.77%, from $28.25 to $31.01, contributing approximately +0.61 percentage points at the screen's 6.25% weight — a full reversal of Period 17's −6.43% decline. KSPI (Kaspi.kz) added +9.30% (+0.58 points) and RELY rose +7.70% (+0.48 points), the same name lifting Burry simultaneously. Against these, PDD (PDD Holdings) fell −7.60% (−0.47 points), the screen's largest drag, and PAAS (Pan American Silver) declined −7.42% (−0.46 points), giving back Period 17's +18.81% gain. Four of fourteen retained positions closed positive. FRSH and SKHY both exited at the sell fee; no new names entered, shrinking Lunch from sixteen to fourteen.

Retention: Three Screens Hit Perfect Retention as Piotroski Lags

Period 18 saw a three-way tie for the field's best retention: Burry, Magic Formula, and Quality Growth all held 100% of their positions, adding new names on top of a fully retained book rather than losing any. Magic Formula's return to 100% is a full reversal from Period 17, when it shed four of thirteen names for the field's lowest mark at 69.2%. Piotroski F-Score posted the period's lowest retention at 78.6%, losing three of fourteen names.

Magic Formula's swing from last place to a tie for first is the sharpest single-period retention reversal since its own collapse the period before. Burry held the top spot across both periods, moving from 96.9% to a full 100% while still adding two new names. Quality Growth jumped from fifth to a share of first, while CANSLIM Rocket held steady at exactly 85.0% in both periods — the only screen with an unchanged figure. The spread narrowed for the first time in three periods: Period 16 ranged 25.0 points, Period 17 widened to 27.7 points, and Period 18 pulls back to 21.4 points.

Cumulative Scoreboard: Quality Growth Reclaims First in a Single Period

Quality Growth's +5.14% lifted its cumulative return to +30.91%, leapfrogging both Schloss Dividend and CANSLIM Rocket. The move is the largest single-period cumulative jump of any screen so far this journal.

CANSLIM's +0.85% nudged its cumulative return to +12.13% from +11.18%, holding second place. Schloss Dividend's −0.63% trimmed its cumulative figure to +11.14% from +11.84%, dropping it from first to third. Burry's −0.45% eased its cumulative return to +9.44% from +8.77%, and Lunch's −0.88% pulled its own figure down to +3.20% from +4.11%, though both remain positive. Magic Formula's +1.35% narrowed its cumulative loss to −1.67% from −2.98%, and Piotroski's +0.88% trimmed its own cumulative loss to −9.67% from −10.46%, still last place.

Against benchmarks, both indices posted only modest gains this period — the S&P 500 to +14.81% cumulative and the NASDAQ to +17.76% — leaving little room for the field to close the gap on pure benchmark movement. Quality Growth's alpha flipped positive against the S&P 500 for the first time since Period 16, moving from −3.19% to +2.11%, though it remains negative against the NASDAQ at −0.84%, narrowed sharply from −6.39%. CANSLIM's alpha improved modestly to −2.68%/−5.63% from −3.21%/−6.41%. Burry's alpha worsened slightly to −6.53%/−9.48% from −5.62%/−8.82%. The remaining four screens closed the period at −3.67%/−6.62% (Schloss), −11.61%/−14.56% (Lunch), −16.48%/−19.43% (Magic Formula), and −24.48%/−27.43% (Piotroski) — all still negative against both benchmarks. Quality Growth is the only screen in the journal with a positive cumulative alpha figure against either index.

Overlap: Three-Way Positions Multiply as ADMA and FSM Both Add a Third Screen

The August 15 snapshot shows twelve stocks in two or more screens, up from eleven on August 8. Two positions expanded into three-way overlaps this period: ADMA, previously shared only between Burry and Lunch, added Magic Formula as a new holder, and FSM, previously shared only between Burry and Lunch, added Quality Growth — bringing the journal's three-way overlap count to three simultaneously alongside DRD's unchanged Burry/Magic Formula/CANSLIM position. Two entirely new pairings also formed: DDS (Burry and Magic Formula) and INSW (Burry and Magic Formula), both created when Burry added the names this period on top of Magic Formula's existing holdings. The only dissolution was ERO, which fell out of the overlap set after CANSLIM Rocket exited it, leaving Magic Formula as its sole holder.

Of the pairs and trios already in place going into this period, DRD's +2.37% lifted Burry, Magic Formula, and CANSLIM together, RELY's +7.70% boosted both Burry and Lunch, FSM's +2.69% helped Burry and Lunch (and will add Quality Growth's exposure from Period 19 onward), and HRMY's −0.76% weighed lightly on both Burry and Lunch. PLGO's −4.75% dragged Schloss and Lunch together — the largest shared drag of the period — and BVN's −1.20% weighed on both Lunch and Magic Formula. LUXE's −5.68% pulled at both Piotroski and CANSLIM simultaneously, the second period running the two screens have shared exposure to that name. Because ADMA, FSM, DDS, and INSW all became overlaps through this period's entries rather than price moves, none of the newly formed relationships affected returns yet — that carries into Period 19.

What Period 18 Tells You

A single position can do more work than an entire portfolio. Quality Growth's +5.14% would have been roughly flat without SNDK — the position alone contributed +3.93 of the screen's 5.14 points, the largest single-position contribution the journal has recorded. That kind of concentration cuts both ways: it's the same structural feature that produced SEZL's record-setting −23.74% collapse just one period earlier, at the same screen.

Retention volatility runs in both directions. Magic Formula went from the field's worst retention (69.2%) to a share of the best (100%) in a single period, mirroring how quickly a screen's turnover profile can swing when no positions happen to hit an exit trigger. CANSLIM Rocket, by contrast, posted the exact same 85.0% retention figure in consecutive periods — proof that stability is possible but not the norm across this field.

Overlap keeps concentrating in Burry Value Screen. Five of the twelve stocks now held in multiple screens include Burry as one of the holders, and two of this period's four new overlap relationships (DDS and INSW) formed because Burry added names that other screens already held. As Burry's book has grown from thirty-two to forty-one names over three periods, its odds of colliding with a smaller, more concentrated screen's picks keep rising.