OWL LABS · BACKTEST
After the owl says A, the market answers.
What if you bought the US large-caps the Owl Score graded A at that moment and held to the next earnings? We reconstructed that backtest and compared it to the S&P 500 — every return published, losers included, no cherry-picking.
In a backtest of the Q1 2026 grading date, the 28 US large-caps the Owl Score graded A returned +9.37% in aggregate from 2026-06-01 to 2026-08-28, against +1.47% for the S&P 500 over the identical window (+7.89%p difference). These are simulated results computed from historical data — not a record of live trades — and exclude fees, taxes and dividends. Past simulated performance does not predict future returns, and nothing here is investment advice.
Backtest · Q1 2026 grades, 2026-06-01 → 2026-08-28 (~one quarter) · 28 names bought in equal amounts · 24 of 28 beat the S&P 500 · alpha = how much more than the index · fees/taxes/dividends excluded
📈 Cumulative return vs S&P 500
Both start at 0% on the buy date. The gap between the two lines is the alpha.
📋 The full ledger — all 28 names
Including the ones that fell.
| Stock | Entry (2026-06-01) | Now | Return | Alpha |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| INCY Incyte | $95.59 | $124.37 | +30.11% | +28.64%p |
| TRV Travelers Companies (The) | $288.93 | $369.90 | +28.02% | +26.55%p |
| ALL Allstate | $207.21 | $260.58 | +25.76% | +24.29%p |
| PYPL PayPal | $45.19 | $53.66 | +18.74% | +17.27%p |
| GL Globe Life | $152.12 | $172.79 | +13.59% | +12.12%p |
| PGR Progressive Corporation | $192.67 | $218.64 | +13.48% | +12.01%p |
| APA APA Corporation | $37.75 | $42.54 | +12.69% | +11.22%p |
| OKE Oneok | $84.95 | $94.76 | +11.55% | +10.08%p |
| PM Philip Morris International | $172.66 | $191.89 | +11.14% | +9.67%p |
| GILD Gilead Sciences | $131.10 | $145.68 | +11.12% | +9.65%p |
| CF CF Industries | $113.30 | $125.79 | +11.02% | +9.55%p |
| CINF Cincinnati Financial | $156.83 | $171.97 | +9.65% | +8.18%p |
| HIG Hartford (The) | $126.57 | $138.55 | +9.47% | +7.99%p |
| AOS A. O. Smith | $55.78 | $60.38 | +8.25% | +6.78%p |
| BF-B Brown–Forman | $25.16 | $27.22 | +8.19% | +6.72%p |
| CMCSA Comcast | $25.05 | $27.06 | +8.02% | +6.55%p |
| TROW T. Rowe Price | $103.92 | $111.24 | +7.04% | +5.57%p |
| ADBE Adobe Inc. | $274.03 | $291.52 | +6.38% | +4.91%p |
| MAS Masco | $68.98 | $73.25 | +6.19% | +4.72%p |
| EOG EOG Resources | $136.62 | $143.35 | +4.93% | +3.46%p |
| TCEHY Tencent ADR | $55.30 | $57.90 | +4.70% | +3.23%p |
| NVR NVR, Inc. | $6121.31 | $6396.27 | +4.49% | +3.02%p |
| NVO Novo Nordisk | $44.07 | $45.61 | +3.49% | +2.02%p |
| DVN Devon Energy | $46.31 | $47.35 | +2.25% | +0.77%p |
| MO Altria | $68.65 | $68.65 | 0.00% | -1.47%p |
| NTES NetEase | $123.27 | $122.76 | -0.41% | -1.88%p |
| ACN Accenture | $196.59 | $189.61 | -3.55% | -5.02%p |
| STZ Constellation Brands | $136.25 | $130.69 | -4.08% | -5.55%p |
See today’s A-grade stocks in the screener
The backtest above is free to inspect — and during our free open period, today’s grades are too.
Methodology & disclosures
The figures on this page come from a backtest — a simulation of what a past decision would have produced. Grades were re-computed using only data known on the entry date (2026-06-01), and the A-graded names were assumed held in equal amounts to the latest close. Return = entry close → latest close; alpha = that return minus the S&P 500 over the identical window. Dividends, fees, taxes and slippage are excluded. The portfolio composition is fixed (Q1 2026), and later quarters will be added as they complete. Grades are quantitative screening outputs, not a recommendation to buy or sell any security and not investment advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Owl Labs is an online information provider; investment decisions and their consequences rest with the investor.
Data sources: Yahoo Finance (quotes & financials)·SEC EDGAR (US filings)