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What You Should Know About Stock Screens
How to Identify and Use Stock Screening Tools

By Ken Little, About.com

Stock screens can make finding potential investment candidates an easier process by eliminating those companies that do not meet your criteria. The following collection of stories will help you get up to speed on stock screens so you can use these valuable tools.

Stock Screening Basics

Back when Fred Flintstone and I were researching stocks (that is, before the Internet), we had to either rely on the advice of a broker who was paid only when we bought or sold or we had to dig through mounds of annual reports, 10-Qs, and an assortment of documents that were months old by the time we got them.

You Should be Using Stock Screens

If you aren’t using a stock screener on a regular basis as part of your stock selection process, let me encourage you to consider doing so.

Characteristics of a Good Stock Screen

Stock screeners are useful tools for sorting through literally thousands of companies to find a smaller number that match investment criteria you select.

Don't Let Stock Screens Cloud Your Judgment

Stock screens are, as the name implies, tools that let you sift through vast numbers of stocks to find only those that meet certain criteria. However, be aware of how the screen computes its returns.

Stock Screens for All Investors

Are you a bottom-up or a top-down type of stock investor? Either way, stock screens can help you narrow your potential investment targets to a manageable number.

List of Stock Screening Tools

Here is a representative list of some popular stock screening tools.

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