Learn how to screen stocks using technical, fundamental, and alternative data filters — and how to use Diplyzer's AI to run custom stock screens across the S&P 500, Nasdaq, and global markets.
There are approximately 4,964 publicly listed stocks on US exchanges alone. Without a screening framework, finding opportunities is like searching for a specific grain of sand on a beach. Stock screening — applying systematic filters to narrow the universe to a targeted shortlist — is the professional's solution.
Diplyzer allows you to describe your screening criteria in natural language (in any language) and instantly apply them across any market universe.
A stock screen applies a set of quantitative or qualitative criteria to a large universe of stocks, filtering out everything that doesn't meet the threshold and returning a shortlist of candidates that do.
The screen itself does not tell you what to buy — it gives you a shortlist worth investigating further. The subsequent due diligence (technical timing, fundamental validation, catalyst review) determines whether to act.
The general process:
Technical screens identify stocks with favourable price action characteristics.
Uptrend Momentum Screen
"Scan the S&P 500 for stocks that are: above their 50-day and 200-day SMA, RSI between 45-65 (trending but not overbought), and MACD histogram positive. Sort by relative strength vs. the index over the last month."
Pattern Breakout Screen
"Scan Nasdaq 100 Tech stocks with positive 3-year revenue growth showing a Cup and Handle or Bull Flag pattern completing on the daily chart in the last 2 weeks. Rank by pattern similarity score."
Oversold Bounce Screen (for contrarian entries)
"Find S&P 500 stocks where RSI has dropped below 30 on the daily chart AND price is at or near a significant historical support level. Filter out stocks in a confirmed structural downtrend."
SMC Setup Screen
"Scan [universe] for stocks where price has retraced into an unmitigated bullish order block on the daily chart while the higher timeframe trend remains bullish."
Classic Value Screen
"Find S&P 500 stocks with: P/E ratio below 15, P/B ratio below 2, positive free cash flow growth over 3 years, debt-to-equity below 0.5, and Piotroski F-Score above 6."
Quality Growth Screen
"Find companies with: revenue growing more than 15% annually over the last 3 years, gross margins expanding year-over-year, ROIC above 15%, and no significant debt increase."
Deep Value / Graham Screen
"Find stocks trading below their Graham Number (√(22.5 × EPS × Book Value Per Share)) AND with an Altman Z-Score above 2.5 (not financially distressed)."
Dividend Growth Screen
"Find stocks with: consistent dividend payments for 5+ years, dividend yield between 2-5%, payout ratio below 60%, and free cash flow well above the dividend obligation."
Insider Buying Screen
"Find stocks where the CEO or CFO made an open market purchase over $500,000 in the last 45 days. Show the company, purchase size, and stock performance since the purchase date."
Institutional Conviction Screen
"Find stocks where 5 or more institutional investors simultaneously increased their ownership by more than 20% in the last quarterly 13F filing."
Congressional Interest Screen
"Find stocks where multiple congressional members have disclosed purchases exceeding $50,000 in the last 60 days. Group by sector."
The most powerful screens combine multiple independent dimensions simultaneously — finding stocks where technical momentum, fundamental quality, and smart money signals all align.
The Triple Confluence Screen
"Find stocks that simultaneously satisfy: (1) in a technical uptrend on the daily chart with RSI between 50-65, (2) Piotroski F-Score above 7, and (3) insider buying activity in the last 60 days."
The Value + Catalyst Screen
"Find stocks trading at a discount to analyst consensus price target by more than 20%, with a Piotroski F-Score above 6, and where at least one institutional investor opened a new position last quarter."
The Technical + Fundamental Sweet Spot
"Find stocks in the S&P 500 where: the stock has formed a bullish chart pattern (Cup and Handle, Bull Flag, or Ascending Triangle) in the last month AND the company has beaten EPS estimates in 3 of the last 4 quarters AND analyst estimates have been revised higher in the last 60 days."
Sector context matters. A stock in a leading sector with strong fundamentals and a bullish chart pattern is a very different opportunity than the same setup in a deteriorating sector.
Step 1: Identify leading sectors first
"Which S&P 500 sectors have shown the strongest relative performance vs. the index over the last 1 month and 3 months? Are there any sectors showing accelerating relative strength?"
Step 2: Screen within the leading sectors
"Within the [leading sector], find the 10 stocks with the strongest combination of: 3-month relative strength, P/E below sector median, and positive earnings estimate revisions in the last 30 days."
Screens can identify short sale candidates as effectively as long candidates:
Deteriorating Fundamentals + Technical Weakness
"Find S&P 500 stocks with: 3 consecutive quarters of declining gross margins, Altman Z-Score below 2.0, and a technical downtrend (price below 50-day and 200-day SMA)."
Insider Selling + Weak Fundamentals
"Find stocks where multiple insiders (2 or more) have sold shares in open market transactions in the last 30 days AND the Piotroski F-Score is below 3."
A stock screen produces candidates, not trades. After generating your shortlist, the next steps:
"I've identified [stock] through a screen. Run the complete analysis: technical chart with entry/stop/target levels, fundamental health (F-Score, Z-Score, cash flow), insider and institutional activity, and next earnings date."