> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.driven.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Screen Stocks by Fundamentals

> How to screen for stocks by fundamentals in Driven: describe your criteria in plain language and get a ranked shortlist of companies that match, with the metrics that matter.

This guide covers fundamental screening, finding stocks that match financial criteria you care about. Instead of clicking through filter menus, you describe what you are looking for in plain language and Driven returns the names that fit.

The Skill behind this workflow is [Stock Screener](/skills/stock-screener).

## When to use this

* Finding investment candidates that meet specific financial criteria
* Narrowing a large universe to a workable shortlist
* Discovering quality companies you would not have thought to look at

## Step 1: Describe your criteria

Tell the Agent what a candidate looks like to you:

```text theme={null}
Find profitable [market] companies with revenue growth above [X]%, positive free cash flow, [margin criteria], and reasonable valuation. Rank the results and show the key metrics for each.
```

Example:

```text theme={null}
Find profitable US software companies with revenue growth above 15%, positive free cash flow, gross margins above 70%, and reasonable valuation.
```

## Step 2: Read the shape of the results

Look at what comes back before tightening. If you get 50 names, the screen is too loose; if you get zero, it is too tight. Adjust the binding constraint:

```text theme={null}
That returned too many names. Add a constraint for return on invested capital above 15% and re-rank.
```

## Step 3: Hand the shortlist to deeper analysis

A screen produces candidates, not conclusions. Take the best names deeper:

```text theme={null}
Take the top 3 from this screen and run a full analysis on each, focused on whether the growth is durable.
```

## Common mistakes

* **Over-filtering.** Stacking too many constraints can leave you with nothing or with statistical flukes. Start loose.
* **Screening on one factor.** A single-metric screen ("cheap stocks") surfaces value traps. Combine quality with valuation.
* **Trusting the screen as the answer.** A screen is a starting list. The research happens after.

## Prompt variations

```text theme={null}
Screen for [market] dividend growers: rising dividends, payout ratio under 60%, and stable free cash flow.
```

```text theme={null}
Find [market] companies with improving margins and accelerating revenue over the last four quarters.
```

```text theme={null}
Screen A-share companies with strong fundamentals and net institutional inflows over the past month.
```

## Related

* [Stock Screener Skill](/skills/stock-screener) — the workflow behind this guide
* [Find momentum plays](/guides/screening/find-momentum-plays) — technical-factor screening
* [Screening prompts](/prompts/screening-prompts) — more copyable prompts