Stock Meadow · Metric glossary · Price trend
3-Month Price Change (Rate of Change): formula and how to read it
The three-month rate of change shows how far a stock has moved over the last quarter. It sits between the one-month change, which is noisy, and the six-month and 12-month measures, which respond slowly.
What is 3-Month Price Change (Rate of Change)?
How much the price moved over the last three months. The latest close divided by the close 63 trading days earlier, minus one (the three-month rate of change).
Stock Meadow groups it under Price trend, and shows it in tables as 3M change.
Formula and a worked example
3-month change = latest close ÷ close 63 trading days ago − 1
A stock at $80 three months ago and $92 now has a three-month change of 92 ÷ 80 − 1 = +15%. The numbers are made up for illustration.
How to read it
A higher figure means a stronger last quarter. It says how the price has moved, not why, and past moves do not guarantee future ones.
When Stock Meadow ranks stocks, a higher figure scores better.
Common pitfalls
- It ignores dividends and does not adjust for the market: a rising market lifts most stocks, so compare it with relative strength.
- A big jump from one event, such as a takeover offer, can dominate the figure.
- Needs 64 trading days of prices, so it is blank for very recent listings.
How Stock Meadow handles gaps. Usually blank when there are fewer than 64 days of prices.
Treat any single metric as one clue, and read the company's financial statements before drawing a conclusion. Stock Meadow's figures are research tools based on reported data, not investment advice.
Stock Meadow models that use it
In Weighted ranking, Z-score composite and Balanced (no weak link), you choose the metrics and weights yourself, so you can include it in a custom score.
No fixed-recipe model scores it.
Read about every scoring model in How scores work.
Frequently asked questions
- Is a 3-month change the same as a quarterly return?
- Nearly. Stock Meadow counts 63 trading days back from the latest close rather than using calendar quarters, so the window moves forward every day.
- Is a higher or lower 3M change better?
- When Stock Meadow ranks stocks, a higher figure scores better. That is a ranking convention, so read 3M change alongside other measures and compare similar companies.
- Why is 3M change blank for some stocks?
- It is usually blank when there are fewer than 64 days of prices. Stock Meadow leaves the figure blank rather than guessing it.
Use 3M change in Stock Meadow
Filter on Price change, 3 months, score it in the stock scoring model, and see how every stock compares. Sign up free, no card needed.
Open the stock scoring model