Stock Screener Quick Start: Find the Right Stocks in 5 Minutes
How the stock screener works, which filters matter most for wheel traders, and a step-by-step walkthrough from preset to results.
Why screen stocks before trading options?
Selling covered calls and cash-secured puts only works well on stocks you're comfortable owning. A company that reports a revenue miss or cuts its dividend can fall 20% overnight — and no amount of option premium makes up for that loss.
The stock screener lets you filter the entire US market down to the names that meet your standards before you look at options chains. Think of it as a pre-screening step: reduce 5,000 stocks to 50 worth researching, then screen options on those 50.
The three-step workflow
| Step | What you do | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pick a preset | Click one chip (Blue Chip, Quality Growth, etc.) | Gets you a sensible starting universe instantly |
| 2. Tweak filters | Tighten or relax one or two sliders | Matches your personal risk tolerance |
| 3. Cross-check options | Click the symbol → options screener | Confirms the underlying has good premiums |
How results auto-load
When you open the screener it runs automatically with no filters applied — showing the full US market sorted by market cap. Apply a preset or adjust a filter and results update in real time. You never need to click "Run" manually unless you're on a slow connection.
Reading the results table
Each row is one stock. Key columns:
- Symbol — click to open an interactive TradingView price chart in a popup
- Mkt Cap — the company's size (the default sort order)
- P/E — price-to-earnings ratio; lower is cheaper relative to earnings
- Gross % — gross margin; how much revenue survives after direct costs
- Net % — net profit margin; the bottom line as a percentage of revenue
- ROE — return on equity; how efficiently management uses shareholder capital
- 5Y Rev % — five-year annualised revenue growth
- 5Y EPS % — five-year annualised EPS growth
You can add or remove any column from Edit Columns in the top-right of the table.
Beginner preset: Blue Chip
The fastest path for a new wheel trader:
- Click Blue Chip in the preset chips.
- You'll see large-cap companies with a track record of profitability.
- Sort by ROE descending to surface the most efficient businesses.
- Open each symbol to check the options chain for yield and liquidity.
Typical Blue Chip stocks (MSFT, AAPL, JNJ) have tight bid-ask spreads and lots of open interest — great for learning.
Intermediate: build a custom screen
Once you're comfortable with presets, build your own:
- Set Market Cap minimum to 5 (B) — avoid thin-liquidity micro-caps.
- Set Gross Margin minimum to 30% — healthy businesses.
- Set Debt-to-Equity maximum to 1.5 — reasonable leverage.
- Set 5Y EPS Growth minimum to 5% — trending in the right direction.
That four-filter combination surfaces roughly 200–400 names — more than enough to find premium-rich options contracts.
Where to go next
- Beginner: Start with the P/E Ratio filter tutorial — the most-used valuation metric.
- Intermediate: Jump to Return on Equity (ROE) to identify the truly efficient businesses.
- Quick wins: Read Preset: Quality Growth for a one-click starting point optimised for wheel trading.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need an account to use the stock screener?
You can see the first few results without an account. Sign up free to unlock the full results table and save your filter combinations.
How often does the screener data update?
Fundamental data (earnings, margins, ratios) refreshes quarterly after each earnings season. Market cap updates more frequently.
Why should I screen stocks before looking at options?
Options premiums are attractive on any volatile stock — but selling puts on a company with falling revenue or rising debt puts you at real assignment risk. Screening for fundamental quality first means you're comfortable owning the stock at your strike price.