Using the Stock Screener

The stock screener helps you filter through thousands of stocks to find investment opportunities matching your criteria. With 26 filters across 6 categories, you can build screens ranging from simple to sophisticated.

Filter Categories

Valuation Filters

• P/E Ratio: Price-to-earnings ratio. Lower values may indicate undervaluation.
• Price/Book: Price relative to book value. Useful for asset-heavy businesses.
• Price/Sales: Price relative to revenue. Helpful for comparing growth companies.
• EV/EBITDA: Enterprise value to EBITDA. Capital structure-neutral valuation.
• PEG Ratio: P/E divided by growth rate. Under 1.0 often considered attractive.

Profitability Filters

• Gross Margin: Gross profit as % of revenue. Indicates pricing power.
• Operating Margin: Operating income as % of revenue. Shows operational efficiency.
• Net Margin: Net income as % of revenue. Bottom-line profitability.
• ROE: Return on equity. How efficiently equity generates profits.
• ROA: Return on assets. Asset utilization efficiency.
• ROIC: Return on invested capital. Overall capital efficiency.

Growth Filters

• Revenue Growth: Year-over-year revenue change.
• EPS Growth: Earnings per share growth rate.
• Book Value Growth: Growth in shareholders' equity per share.

Dividend Filters

• Dividend Yield: Annual dividend relative to stock price.
• Payout Ratio: Percentage of earnings paid as dividends.

Size Filters

• Market Cap: Total market value of shares outstanding.
• Revenue: Annual revenue (total sales).

Quality Filters

• Current Ratio: Current assets divided by current liabilities. Measures liquidity.
• Debt/Equity: Total debt relative to shareholders' equity.
• Interest Coverage: EBIT divided by interest expense. Higher is safer.

Adding and Removing Filters

Adding Filters

1. Click the "+ Add Filter" button
2. Browse categories or search for a specific metric
3. Click the filter to add it to your screen

Configuring Filter Values

Each filter supports multiple operators:

• Greater than (>): Find stocks above a threshold
• Less than (<): Find stocks below a threshold
• Equals (=): Find stocks matching exactly
• Between: Find stocks within a range

Click on a filter chip to change its operator or value. Preset values are suggested based on common screening criteria, but you can enter custom values.

Removing Filters

Click the "×" on any filter chip to remove it from your screen.

Preset Values

Each filter offers suggested values based on common investment criteria:

• P/E Ratio: < 15 (value), < 25 (reasonable), < 10 (deep value)
• ROIC: > 15% (excellent), > 10% (good), > 20% (exceptional)
• Dividend Yield: > 2%, > 3%, > 4%
• Market Cap: > $10B (large cap), > $2B (mid cap), < $2B (small cap)

These are starting points. Adjust based on your investment philosophy and the current market environment.

URL Persistence

Your screen configuration is automatically saved in the URL. This enables:

• Bookmarking: Save favorite screens for quick access
• Sharing: Send screen URLs to others
• History: Use browser back/forward to navigate between screens

Example URL structure:

/screener?pe=<15&roic=>15&marketCap=>10000000000

Keyboard Navigation

Navigate efficiently through results using keyboard shortcuts:

• [ (left bracket): Move to previous stock in results
• ] (right bracket): Move to next stock in results

The selected stock is highlighted in the results table. Press Enter to view the full stock page.

Example Screens

Warren Buffett Style

A quality-focused value screen:

• P/E < 20
• ROIC > 15%
• Debt/Equity < 0.5
• Net Margin > 10%

GARP (Growth at Reasonable Price)

Balancing growth and valuation:

• PEG Ratio < 1.5
• EPS Growth > 15%
• P/E < 25
• Revenue Growth > 10%

Dividend Income

For income-focused investors:

• Dividend Yield > 3%
• Payout Ratio < 60%
• Debt/Equity < 1
• Current Ratio > 1.5

Small Cap Value

Finding overlooked opportunities:

• Market Cap < $2B
• P/B < 1.5
• ROE > 12%
• P/E < 15

Tips for Effective Screening

1. Start broad, then narrow: Begin with 2-3 key filters, then add more to refine results.

2. Consider the context: A P/E of 20 might be cheap for a fast-growing tech company but expensive for a utility.

3. Combine valuation with quality: Cheap stocks are often cheap for a reason. Adding profitability and return filters helps avoid value traps.

4. Check the results: A screen is a starting point, not an endpoint. Always research individual companies before investing.

5. Save your screens: Bookmark useful screens to track how the opportunity set changes over time.

6. Compare sectors carefully: Different industries have different typical valuations and margins. Consider screening within sectors for fairer comparisons.