Stock Screeners
Stock Screener Filters That Actually Matter (Skip the Rest)
Most stock screener filters are noise. Here are the ones that actually predict profitable trades — and why you should ignore most of the rest.
By Truevest Team · March 1, 2026 · 8 min read
90% of Screener Filters Are Useless
Stock screeners offer hundreds of filters. Price-to-book ratio. Beta. Quick ratio. Float percentage. PEG ratio. The list goes on and on.
Here's the thing: most retail traders using screeners to find trades don't need 90% of these filters. They add complexity without adding edge. Let's focus on the ones that actually move the needle.
Filter #1: Volume (Non-Negotiable)
Volume is the single most important filter and the one most beginners ignore.
Why it matters: Volume = liquidity. High-volume stocks have tight bid-ask spreads, meaning you can get in and out without losing money on the spread. Low-volume stocks can trap you — you want to sell, but there are no buyers at your price.
What to set:
- Day trading: Average volume > 1,000,000
- Swing trading: Average volume > 500,000
- Investing: Average volume > 200,000
Also look for relative volume — today's volume compared to the average. A stock with 3x its normal volume has unusual activity. Something is happening. Pay attention.
Filter #2: Price Action / Percent Change
Stocks that are already moving tend to continue moving. This is the momentum factor, and it's one of the most well-documented anomalies in finance.
For momentum screens: Filter for stocks up 3-10% today with above-average volume. These are actively in play.
For mean-reversion screens: Filter for stocks down 10-20% from their 20-day high with increasing volume. These might be setting up for a bounce.
Filter #3: RSI (Relative Strength Index)
RSI quickly tells you if a stock is potentially overbought or oversold.
Why it matters: Buying oversold stocks (RSI < 30) and selling overbought stocks (RSI > 70) is a simple but effective edge — especially when combined with other filters.
Pro tip: RSI below 30 on a high-quality, large-cap stock is often a strong buying opportunity. RSI below 30 on a garbage small-cap might just mean the stock is dying. Context matters.
Filter #4: Market Cap
Market cap determines the type of stock you're dealing with.
- Mega cap (>$200B): Apple, Microsoft, Google. Very stable, very liquid, smaller moves.
- Large cap ($10B-$200B): Established companies. Good balance of stability and movement.
- Mid cap ($2B-$10B): Growth potential with reasonable liquidity.
- Small cap ($300M-$2B): Higher risk, bigger moves, less analyst coverage.
Rule: Match your market cap filter to your risk tolerance. Beginners should stick to large cap and above.
Filter #5: Insider Activity
This is the most underused and underrated screener filter. Insider activity — when CEOs, directors, and executives buy or sell shares of their own company — is a powerful signal.
Why it matters: Insiders know more about their company than any analyst. When a CEO spends their own money buying shares on the open market, it's a strong vote of confidence. Studies have shown that stocks with heavy insider buying outperform the market by 7-10% annually.
What to look for:
- Cluster buying: Multiple insiders buying within the same period
- Large purchases: A CEO buying $500K+ worth of stock is meaningful
- First-time buying: An executive who has never bought shares suddenly starts buying
Not all screeners include insider data, but tools like Truevest AI integrate insider holdings and transaction data directly into their recommendations.
Filter #6: Sector/Industry
Different sectors perform differently depending on market conditions. In a risk-on environment, tech and growth stocks lead. In a risk-off environment, utilities and consumer staples outperform.
Why it matters: Even a great stock in a terrible sector can underperform. Swimming against the current is hard. Screen within sectors that are showing strength.
Filters You Can Usually Skip
| Filter | Why You Can Skip It |
|---|---|
| P/E Ratio | Can be misleading. High P/E doesn't mean overvalued, low doesn't mean cheap. |
| Beta | Backward-looking. Tells you about past volatility, not future. |
| Price-to-Book | Only relevant for certain sectors (financials). Useless for tech. |
| Quick Ratio | Too granular for screening. Save for deep-dive analysis. |
| Short Float | Popular on Reddit but unreliable as a standalone signal. |
| Analyst Price Target | Analysts are wrong more often than right. Use as context, not a filter. |
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If you could only use 5 filters, use these:
- Average volume: > 500,000
- Market cap: > $2B
- RSI (14): 25-35 (oversold bounce) or 55-70 (momentum)
- Price change: Context-dependent (positive for momentum, negative for bounce plays)
- Relative volume: > 1.5x average
Simple, focused, and effective. This will give you a manageable list of 10-30 stocks to investigate further. Quality over quantity.