MarketBeat's Momentum Alerts uses more than two dozen algorithmic factors and technical indicators to identify stocks that are poised for near-term growth. Some events that may place a stock on the Momentum Alert list include beating earnings estimates, increasing a dividend, multiple positive analyst recommendations, announcing a buyback or a stock split, or a significant increase in the positivity of news about a stock.
A higher score means more positive indicators, however, there is not a specific scale for the scores. Stocks are ranked from highest to lowest score daily, those that cross a defined threshold get sent out.
What's important to recognize about the Momentum Alert recommendations is that they are short term picks based on what's been happening in the news and market events surrounding that stock. They are really a short-term momentum play (e.g., investors may keep buying this stock-based on the good news of the stock and favorable market events it has had recently.)
The Wall Street consensus ratings on MarketBeat's website are more long-term buy and hold recommendations. Wall Street analysts typically forecast prices a year out, which makes them a different kind of recommendation.