POST vs QQQ Stock Comparison

Compare POST and QQQ across AIQ Score, fundamentals, valuation, momentum, risk, analyst expectations and current market evidence.

Market data as of Sep 11, 2026 market close· AIQ score gap 11 points
POST
Consumer Defensive
vs
QQQ
Equity
POST
Post Holdings, Inc.
Price
$80.19
Day move
-0.11%
AIQ Score
45/100
Best edge
Value
Sector
Consumer Defensive
QQQ
Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1
Leads
Price
$715
Day move
+0.87%
AIQ Score
56/100
Best edge
Quality
Sector
Equity

What is the main difference between POST and QQQ?

QQQ leads the current stock comparison as Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1, with the clearest separation coming from quality and the broader AIQ evidence mix.

AlgovestIQ AIQ Comparison

Post Holdings, Inc. vs Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1

Data as of Sep 11, 2026· market close· POST (stock) vs QQQ (ETF)· Coverage 66/66 fields· 42/42 directly comparable· Moderate confidence
AIQ VerdictFragileAIQ Comparison Conviction 5/10

QQQ leads

QQQ leads by 11 AIQ points, primarily on Quality and Risk Resilience, but the lead has narrowed from 26 points over 30 sessions.

Fragile: 3 of 4 evidence groups support QQQ, its lead is narrowing, and its current signal state is conflicted.

Evidence agreement: 3 of 4Comparison trend: Weakening
POST

Post Holdings, Inc.

AIQ Score
45/100
AIQ Edge Score
5/10
QQQ

Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1

Leads
AIQ Score
56/100
AIQ Edge Score
8/10

The Algovestiq AIQ Score currently favors QQQ over POST, 56 versus 45 as of Sep 11, 2026. QQQ's advantage is driven primarily by stronger quality and risk resilience, while POST holds the stronger value profile. QQQ also shows the stronger technical structure relative to its 50-day moving average. 3 of 4 covered evidence groups favor QQQ today, and the comparison is rated Fragile on stability: the leader's advantage has been narrowing. QQQ lead: Weakening — the AIQ differential moved from 26 to 11 points over 30 sessions.

Compare Post Holdings, Inc. and Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1 across the Algovestiq AIQ Score, valuation, quality, momentum, risk, technicals and analyst expectations.

Currently unavailable

Performance over time

Price-return comparison using available daily close history.

POST
-25.7%
QQQ
+88.3%

Total return comparison

Growth of $10,000

POST $7,426 · QQQ $18,832

Based on available close-price history. Distribution reinvestment is not added unless already reflected in the source series.

Compare POST and QQQ against another ticker

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AIQ Factor Divergence

Where the two separate, on the four dimensions behind the AIQ Score. Bars read outward from a shared zero: further from the centre is a wider gap.

POST advantage
0
QQQ advantage
  • Quality21 vs 83
    QQQ +62
  • Value69 vs 30
    POST +39
  • Risk Resilience45 vs 75
    QQQ +30
  • Momentum46 vs 45
    Even

3 of 4 evidence groups favor QQQ. QQQ’s edge is concentrated in quality and risk resilience; POST keeps a meaningful value edge.

What changed since the last close

Latest scored session 2026-09-10, compared against the prior scored session 2026-09-09.

POST-1 AIQ

Largest factor move: Momentum -2

No new signals fired.

QQQ-5 AIQ

Largest factor move: Momentum -17

No new signals fired.

QQQ's lead narrowed by 4 AIQ points in the latest snapshot.

Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — POST and QQQ both carry a full feed there.

The central trade-off

QQQ (Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1): the stronger current systematic profile, led by quality and risk resilience.

POST (Post Holdings, Inc.): the counter-case, on value, valuation — but at materially higher volatility, 28.6% against 13%.

Which one fits your objective

The same two names rank differently depending on what you are optimizing for. All six reads are shown at once — none of them is hidden behind a toggle.

Balanced

QQQ

QQQ on the overall AIQ Score, which weights Quality and Value most heavily.

Growth

Even

Growth figures are not covered for both names.

Value

POST

POST on the peer-relative Value factor, by 39 points.

Momentum

Even

The two are level on Momentum.

Lower downside

QQQ

QQQ on Risk Resilience, by 30 points.

Analyst upside

Even

Analyst targets are level or not covered for both names.

AIQ vs Wall Street

Where the systematic read and the analyst consensus line up — and where they do not.

MeasurePOSTQQQNote
Implied upside to target+41.5%Level
Target dispersion+29.1%Lower is tighter analyst agreement
ConsensusBuyContext, not a primary driver
Analysts covering6Higher coverage generally improves confidence

Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions. Dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.

AIQ Agreement Matrix

3 of 4 covered evidence groups favor QQQ. A wide gap backed by one group is a weaker case than a narrow gap backed by five.

Evidence groupFavorsReading
AIQ ScoreQQQ45 vs 56
FundamentalsNot coveredNot covered
ValuationPOSTValue 69 vs 30
TechnicalsQQQPrice vs 50-day -6.2% vs 0.6%; vs 200-day -16.4% vs 7.5%
Risk ResilienceQQQRisk Resilience 45 vs 75
Analyst expectationsNot coveredNot covered

✓ agrees with the overall verdict · ✕ points the other way. Groups marked “not covered” lack data on one or both of POST and QQQ and are excluded from the count.

AIQ Decision Stability

Fragile

The conclusion is sensitive to small changes. Treat the lead as provisional and watch the flip conditions below.

  • The AIQ gap is moderate at 11 points.
  • The leader's advantage has been narrowing. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
  • The leader is throwing conflicting signals. (argues the conclusion is provisional)

Stability combines the score gap, how broadly the evidence agrees, how steady the lead has been across daily snapshots, the current signal state on both names, and analyst dispersion on QQQ.

How the comparison changed

119 daily snapshots · May 4 Sep 10

QQQ lead: Weakening — the AIQ differential moved from 26 to 11 points over 30 sessions.

May 4POST leads above the line · QQQ leads belowSep 10
Today
QQQ +11
45 vs 56
7 sessions ago
QQQ +11
48 vs 59
30 sessions ago
QQQ +26
38 vs 64
90 sessions ago
QQQ +7
43 vs 50

The lead changed hands once in this window, most recently on Jul 31 when QQQ moved ahead of POST.

AIQ Signal Divergence

Only the signals that bear on the head-to-head. A conflicted name is carrying bullish and bearish rules at the same time — the technical evidence is not pointing one way.

POSTConflicted

1 bullish / 2 bearish, conflicted

  • Death Cross Active bearish, trend, long horizon (12.40%)
  • Downtrend Structure Active bearish, trend, long horizon
  • MACD Bullish Crossover bullish, momentum, short horizon
QQQConflicted

2 bullish / 1 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted

  • Golden Cross Active bullish, trend, long horizon (7.75%)
  • EMA Ribbon Expansion Bullish bullish, trend, medium horizon
  • ATR Contraction - Coiling neutral, volatility, short horizon (1.27%)

QQQ leads the comparison while carrying a conflicted signal state, which is one reason the stability rating is not higher.

Price vs model alignment

Whether the latest session's price move confirms what the model did over the same session, or contradicts it.

POSTConfirmed weakness

Price and the AIQ Score both moved down over the latest session (price -0.11%, AIQ -1 points).

QQQDivergence

Price is up while the AIQ Score moved down 5 points over the same session — price and model disagree (price +0.87%, AIQ -5 points).

What would flip this result

A state, not a forecast. These are the specific, observable changes that would reverse the verdict — not a price prediction.

  1. 1POST closes the Quality gap — currently 62 points behind, the largest single contributor to QQQ's edge.
  2. 2POST's Death Cross Active resolves — a bearish trend rule currently active against it.
  3. 3QQQ's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 2 bullish and 1 bearish rules at once.
  4. 4The narrowing continues — the lead has already given back 15 points over 30 sessions, and a further 11-point move would eliminate QQQ's advantage entirely.

The full evidence

Every number behind the verdict. The leader is called above each group so you are not left to solve it from the table.

Fundamentals

Split
MetricPOSTQQQ
Revenue growth (YoY)-4.6%
EPS growth (YoY)-17.5%
Gross margin26.9%
Operating margin10.1%
Return on equity (TTM)8.7%
Debt to equity2.48

Performance

QQQ leads 5 of 6 windows
MetricPOSTQQQ
1 week (5 sessions)-4.8%-0.1%
1 month (20 sessions)-0.4%-2.1%
3 months (63 sessions)-14.2%2.2%
6 months (126 sessions)-21%16.6%
Year to date-19%15.4%
1 year (252 sessions)-24.5%22.4%

Technicals

QQQ has the stronger structure
MetricPOSTQQQ
RSI (14)54.848.1
ADX (14)13.99.8
Price vs 50-day-6.2%0.6%
Price vs 200-day-16.4%7.5%
Volatility (1M, annualized)28.6%13%

Risk

QQQ is the more resilient
MetricPOSTQQQ
Beta-0.091.42
Sharpe ratio-0.850.92
Sortino ratio-1.091.38
Max drawdown-33.5%-12.2%
Current drawdown-29.9%-5%
Annualized volatility31.4%19.7%
Value at risk (95%)-3%-1.9%

Straight answers

Each answer is regenerated from the current snapshot, not written once and left to age.

Which is better, POST or QQQ?

On the Algovestiq AIQ Score, QQQ is the stronger of the two as of Sep 11, 2026, scoring 56 against POST's 45. The edge comes from quality and risk resilience. POST is not without a case — it holds the better value profile, which matters more if that is the objective you are optimizing for. This is a systematic score, not a recommendation: it ranks the two on the same evidence, it does not know your holding period or tax position.

Is POST or QQQ the better buy right now?

QQQ carries the stronger systematic profile as of Sep 11, 2026, and the comparison is rated Fragile — 3 of 4 covered evidence groups agree. A Fragile rating means the conclusion is sensitive: the leader's advantage has been narrowing. Treat the lead as provisional.

Why does the AIQ Score favor QQQ over POST?

The composite weights Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk Resilience. QQQ leads Quality by 62 points; POST leads Value by 39 points; QQQ leads Risk Resilience by 30 points. Where the two split, the factor with the larger weight carries the result.

Which has more analyst upside, POST or QQQ?

Analyst price targets imply +41.5% upside for POST and not covered for QQQ. The model and the Street agree here, which is a broader base of evidence than either alone. Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions, and dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.

Which is better value, POST or QQQ?

POST is the better-valued of the two on the peer-relative Value factor. POST on the peer-relative Value factor, by 39 points. The Value factor reads valuation relative to sector peers and to the company's own fundamental quality, so it is not the same as simply having the lower multiple.

Which has stronger growth, POST or QQQ?

Growth figures are not covered for both names. Growth here is measured on reported revenue and earnings, not on forward estimates — it describes what the businesses have delivered, not what the Street expects next.

Which has stronger momentum, POST or QQQ?

The two are level on Momentum. Momentum is one of the four weighted factors in the AIQ composite. It has documented persistence over three- to twelve-month horizons, which makes it a timing input rather than a reason to hold something indefinitely.

Which is riskier, POST or QQQ?

QQQ is the more resilient of the two, so the other name carries the higher downside risk. QQQ on Risk Resilience, by 30 points. Risk Resilience is a weighted factor in the composite; position sizing usually responds to it more usefully than the buy/avoid decision does.

Is POST more profitable than QQQ?

Margin data is not comparable for both names in the current snapshot.

Is QQQ's lead over POST getting stronger or weaker?

QQQ lead: Weakening — the AIQ differential moved from 26 to 11 points over 30 sessions. This is measured from 119 daily comparison snapshots between 2026-05-04 and 2026-09-10. The lead has changed hands once in that window, most recently on 2026-07-31, when QQQ moved ahead of POST.

What would change the POST vs QQQ verdict?

The result is a state, not a forecast, so it changes when the underlying evidence changes. Concretely: POST closes the Quality gap — currently 62 points behind, the largest single contributor to QQQ's edge; POST's Death Cross Active resolves — a bearish trend rule currently active against it; QQQ's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 2 bullish and 1 bearish rules at once; the narrowing continues — the lead has already given back 15 points over 30 sessions, and a further 11-point move would eliminate QQQ's advantage entirely.

What do the current signals say about POST and QQQ?

POST: 1 bullish / 2 bearish, conflicted. QQQ: 2 bullish / 1 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted. A conflicted state means bullish and bearish rules are active on the same name at once — the technical evidence is not pointing one way, and a decision taken on it carries more timing risk. The most decision-relevant rule on POST is Death Cross Active (bearish, long horizon). On QQQ it is Golden Cross Active (bullish, long horizon).

Continue your research

This page answers which of the two. These answer the questions on either side of it.

How this comparison is scored

The Algovestiq AIQ Score composites four factors — Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk, each carrying a fixed weight. Sentiment is reported separately as SentimentPulse and is not folded into the composite. Scores refresh every trading day, and this page regenerates from the latest snapshot rather than being written once.

The verdict names a leader, states how broadly six independent evidence groups agree, and rates how durable that conclusion is given the score gap, its recent trajectory and the current signal state on both names.

How to use side-by-side comparison →

This comparison is informational and educational, not investment advice. AIQ scores update daily; re-check after earnings, guidance or macro data that materially changes either name’s factor profile.