Morningstar Quantitative Ratings for Stocks are generated using an algorithm that compares companies that are not under analyst coverage to peer companies that do receive analyst-driven ratings.

J. William Carpenter is an economist who writes financial topics. He is an author of published works for higher education and business clients. Katie Miller is a consumer financial services expert.

Investopedia contributors come from a range of backgrounds, and over 25 years there have been thousands of expert writers and editors who have contributed. Amy is an ACA and the CEO and founder of ...