VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Saturday, September 27, 2025

Investors comparing Magic Formula Investing and Yellowbrick Investing will find that Both Magic Formula Investing and Yellowbrick Investing concentrate on Screeners, and Stock Ideas workflows, making them natural alternatives for similar investment research jobs. Yellowbrick Investing stands out with Investor Holdings, 13F, and Institutional Data that the competition lacks. Use the feature-by-feature table to inspect unique capabilities and confirm which roadmap best maps to your process.

Head-to-head

Magic Formula Investing vs Yellowbrick Investing

Compare pricing, supported platforms, categories, and standout capabilities to decide which tool fits your workflow.

Quick takeaways

  • Yellowbrick Investing includes Investor Holdings, 13F, Institutional Data, Alerts, and Newsletters categories that Magic Formula Investing omits.
  • Magic Formula Investing highlights: Straightforward screener with only two inputs: minimum market cap (USD, millions) and number of results (30 or 50)., Universe restricted to U.S.-listed equities, excluding financial and utility companies., and Ranks companies on two factors: high earnings yield (low P/E) and high return on capital, with minor accounting adjustments..
  • Yellowbrick Investing is known for: Aggregated stock pitches with powerful filters: search by ticker, sector, valuation metrics, price targets, dividends, sentiment, geography, and more., Elite Investor Feeds curate trades and ideas from top-performing investors, complete with displayed average returns., and Hedge Fund Watcher tracks 13F filings and fund trades, with premium features such as leaderboards, model portfolios, and fund-level performance stats..
Magic Formula Investing logo

Magic Formula Investing

magicformulainvesting.com

Free stock screener based on Joel Greenblatt’s Magic Formula strategy. Covers only U.S.-listed equities, excluding financials and utilities. Users choose a minimum market cap and get either 30 or 50 ranked results. Prices are updated daily on trading mornings, and fundamentals refresh quarterly. Free registration is required.

Platforms

Web

Pricing

Free

Quick highlights

  • Straightforward screener with only two inputs: minimum market cap (USD, millions) and number of results (30 or 50).
  • Universe restricted to U.S.-listed equities, excluding financial and utility companies.
  • Ranks companies on two factors: high earnings yield (low P/E) and high return on capital, with minor accounting adjustments.
  • Update cadence: price data refreshed daily around 8:00 AM ET on trading days; financial data updated quarterly.
  • Underlying data source is S&P Compustat. Official guidance suggests focusing on larger caps for less volatility and holding at least 20 stocks.
Yellowbrick Investing logo

Yellowbrick Investing

joinyellowbrick.com

Aggregates stock pitches and hedge fund holdings into a searchable platform. The free tier gives access to delayed ideas and limited data, while Premium unlocks real-time investor feeds, professional fund portfolios, enhanced filters, investor return stats, and the live Yellowbrick Premium Portfolio with trade alerts. A separate “CEO Watcher Premium” subscription tracks insider activity.

Platforms

Web

Pricing

Free
Subscription

Quick highlights

  • Aggregated stock pitches with powerful filters: search by ticker, sector, valuation metrics, price targets, dividends, sentiment, geography, and more.
  • Elite Investor Feeds curate trades and ideas from top-performing investors, complete with displayed average returns.
  • Hedge Fund Watcher tracks 13F filings and fund trades, with premium features such as leaderboards, model portfolios, and fund-level performance stats.
  • Premium plan includes full access to all pitches, Premium daily email, Yellowbrick Premium Portfolio, investor return analytics, professional fund portfolios, premium stock-pitch filters, and expanded Hedge Fund Watcher features.
  • Free tier limits include ~30-day delays on new hedge-fund stock pitches and restricted access to investor return columns.

Shared focus areas

Both platforms align on these research themes, so you can stay within one workflow when your use case involves them.

Where they differ

Yellowbrick Investing

Distinct strengths include:

  • Aggregated stock pitches with powerful filters: search by ticker, sector, valuation metrics, price targets, dividends, sentiment, geography, and more.
  • Elite Investor Feeds curate trades and ideas from top-performing investors, complete with displayed average returns.
  • Hedge Fund Watcher tracks 13F filings and fund trades, with premium features such as leaderboards, model portfolios, and fund-level performance stats.
  • Premium plan includes full access to all pitches, Premium daily email, Yellowbrick Premium Portfolio, investor return analytics, professional fund portfolios, premium stock-pitch filters, and expanded Hedge Fund Watcher features.

Feature-by-feature breakdown

AttributeMagic Formula InvestingYellowbrick Investing
Categories

Which research workflows each platform targets

Shared: Screeners, Stock Ideas

Shared: Screeners, Stock Ideas

Unique: Investor Holdings, 13F, Institutional Data, Alerts, Newsletters

Asset types

Supported asset classes and universes

Stocks

Stocks, ETFs

Experience levels

Who each product is built for

Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

Platforms

Where you can access the product

Web

Web

Pricing

High-level pricing models

Free

Free, Subscription

Key features

Core capabilities called out by each vendor

Unique

  • Straightforward screener with only two inputs: minimum market cap (USD, millions) and number of results (30 or 50).
  • Universe restricted to U.S.-listed equities, excluding financial and utility companies.
  • Ranks companies on two factors: high earnings yield (low P/E) and high return on capital, with minor accounting adjustments.
  • Update cadence: price data refreshed daily around 8:00 AM ET on trading days; financial data updated quarterly.
  • Underlying data source is S&P Compustat. Official guidance suggests focusing on larger caps for less volatility and holding at least 20 stocks.
  • Suggested rules: equal-dollar weighting, annual holding period (sell losses just before 1 year, gains just after 1 year) to optimize after-tax results.

Unique

  • Aggregated stock pitches with powerful filters: search by ticker, sector, valuation metrics, price targets, dividends, sentiment, geography, and more.
  • Elite Investor Feeds curate trades and ideas from top-performing investors, complete with displayed average returns.
  • Hedge Fund Watcher tracks 13F filings and fund trades, with premium features such as leaderboards, model portfolios, and fund-level performance stats.
  • Premium plan includes full access to all pitches, Premium daily email, Yellowbrick Premium Portfolio, investor return analytics, professional fund portfolios, premium stock-pitch filters, and expanded Hedge Fund Watcher features.
  • Free tier limits include ~30-day delays on new hedge-fund stock pitches and restricted access to investor return columns.
  • Yellowbrick Premium Portfolio is a real-money portfolio that mirrors top investor trades and issues alerts when new trades are made.
Tested

Verified by hands-on testing inside Find My Moat

Not yet

Not yet

Editor pick

Featured inside curated shortlists

Standard listing

Standard listing

Frequently Asked Questions

Which workflows do Magic Formula Investing and Yellowbrick Investing both support?

Both platforms cover Screeners, and Stock Ideas workflows, so you can research those use cases in either tool before digging into the feature differences below.

Do Magic Formula Investing and Yellowbrick Investing require subscriptions?

Both Magic Formula Investing and Yellowbrick Investing keep freemium access with optional paid upgrades, so you can trial each platform before committing.

How can you access Magic Formula Investing and Yellowbrick Investing?

Both Magic Formula Investing and Yellowbrick Investing prioritize web or desktop access. Investors wanting a mobile-first workflow may need to rely on responsive web views.

What unique strengths set the two platforms apart?

Magic Formula Investing differentiates itself with Straightforward screener with only two inputs: minimum market cap (USD, millions) and number of results (30 or 50)., Universe restricted to U.S.-listed equities, excluding financial and utility companies., and Ranks companies on two factors: high earnings yield (low P/E) and high return on capital, with minor accounting adjustments., whereas Yellowbrick Investing stands out for Aggregated stock pitches with powerful filters: search by ticker, sector, valuation metrics, price targets, dividends, sentiment, geography, and more., Elite Investor Feeds curate trades and ideas from top-performing investors, complete with displayed average returns., and Hedge Fund Watcher tracks 13F filings and fund trades, with premium features such as leaderboards, model portfolios, and fund-level performance stats..

Curation & Accuracy

This directory blends AI‑assisted discovery with human curation. Entries are reviewed, edited, and organized with the goal of expanding coverage and sharpening quality over time. Your feedback helps steer improvements (because no single human can capture everything all at once).

Details change. Pricing, features, and availability may be incomplete or out of date. Treat listings as a starting point and verify on the provider’s site before making decisions. If you spot an error or a gap, send a quick note and I’ll adjust.