What financial health means here
Each company's health score averages four questions answered from its latest annual report: is it profitable, is it growing, how much debt does it carry against its cash flow, and are there accounting red flags. Each is rated strong, mixed or weak, and anything without enough reported figures is left out rather than guessed.
Valuation is deliberately kept out of the score. Whether a share price is high is a separate question, and the screener filters on it separately.
Where the figures come from
The scores are computed from SEC EDGAR filings on a schedule and stored, so a screen across hundreds of companies returns instantly without calling a data provider for each one. Every result links to its company page, and every figure there links to the filing it came from.
Canadian companies appear when they are listed in the US and file with the SEC, as most large ones do.
Using a screen well
A screen narrows a universe down to a reading list. A few habits make that list more useful.
- Start from a ready-made screen, then narrow by sector and listing: a margin threshold means something different in software than in retail.
- Open a few results rather than reading the table alone. Each company page shows why its figures are what they are.
- Save a screen and run it again after the next reporting season to see which companies have moved in or out.
- Treat every result as a starting point for reading, not as a list of conclusions.
What a screen cannot do
A screen only finds what its filters describe. It cannot see a new competitor, a lawsuit, a change of management or anything else that is not yet in the figures, and the annual figures it reads can be several months old.
The ready-made screens
Financial health
Run this screenStrong finances across profitability, debt and accounting quality, and improving on most standard checks.
Looks for
- A health score of 7.5 or more out of 10
- A Piotroski F-Score of 6 or more out of 9
Does not tell you
Whether the share price is reasonable, or whether the business will keep improving. It reads the latest annual filing, which can be months old.
Growth
Run this screenSales up sharply on last year, without obvious financial strain.
Looks for
- Revenue up 15% or more on the previous year
- A health score of at least 5, so the growth is not arriving with obvious strain
Does not tell you
Whether the growth is profitable or can last. One strong year can come from an acquisition, and growth in earnings per share and free cash flow is not screened here.
Value
Run this screenMaking real money, but priced modestly against those profits.
Looks for
- A P/E between 0 and 18
- A profit margin of at least 5%
- A health score of at least 6
Does not tell you
Why the price is low. A low P/E can reflect a business the market expects to shrink, and price to free cash flow and EV/EBITDA are not screened here.
Dividend
Run this screenReturns cash to shareholders and stays financially sound.
Looks for
- A dividend yield of 1.5% or more
- A health score of at least 5.5
Does not tell you
Whether the dividend is covered by free cash flow or will be kept. The yield is trailing, and a falling share price raises it on its own.
Quality
Run this screenHigh margins and returns, carried on a moderate balance sheet.
Looks for
- A profit margin of 15% or more
- A return on assets of 8% or more
- Liabilities no more than 1.5 times equity
- A health score of at least 7
Does not tell you
Whether that quality is already reflected in the price, or how durable the returns are. Return on invested capital and free cash flow are not screened here.
Red flags
Run this screenCompanies showing financial distress or unusual accounting. Shown so they are not a surprise, not as targets.
Looks for
- An accounting flag from the Beneish M-Score
- Or a distress reading from the Altman Z-Score
- Or a health score of 4 or less
Does not tell you
That anything is actually wrong. Each is a statistical screen or a weak score — a prompt to read the filings, not evidence of a problem.