A tool investors can use to filter stocks given certain criteria of their choice.
By using a stock screening tool an investor is able to follow a strict set of criteria that he or she requires prior to investing in a company. For example, an investor could screen stocks by entering the following criteria: “listed on the NYSE”, “in the telecommunications industry”, “has a P/E ratio between 15-25”, and “has an annual EPS growth of at least 15% for the past three years”. The screener would then produce a list of stocks that displayed all of these attributes. In this example stocks are screened by using only four criteria; however, you can screen stocks by as many criteria as the particular screener you are using will allow.
The stock screener has replaced many days’ worth of research with a few clicks of a mouse.