Research Wizard If you have questions or an idea you'd like to see demonstrated here, please send your comments to: In this issue of Tips and Tricks, we’ll go over all of the helpful resources available for using the Research Wizard. The program is packed with valuable information, along with features and functions not found in other stock picking software. But it’s hard to know everything the program can do on your first sitting.
In fact, a lot of its features may remain ‘hidden’ until you discover you need them or are ready to take your analysis to the next level. And we’re ready to help you find what you’re looking for so you can get everything you want out of the Research Wizard and more. The first helpful resource that Research Wizard users have, are these Tips and Tricks articles. Tips and Tricks New ones come out every other week and we notify our customers via e-mail. But you don’t have to wait for an e-mail to get access to them. We also make each and every one of them available on the Research Wizard website: The image below is the home page.
On the far right, you’ll see a tab that says Tips and Tricks. (See below.) Simply click the Tips and Tricks tab and you’ll be taken to the Tips and Tricks index. For quick reference, that URL is: Consider bookmarking this page so you can go back to it again and again. You can also access the Research Wizard site thru the Research Wizard program as well. Go to Internet on your Menu Bar and select Research Wizard product page. (See below.) Online Help You can also access our Online Help guides from the Research Wizard as well.
On the your Menu Bar, go to Help and a Menu will drop down. There you will see several different selections:.
Contents: Each one if the links takes you to a How to page and answers questions related to the topic. Search For Help On Type in your help topic or select from the available topics to get immediate help. Online Help All of the features and functions of the Research Wizard are explained in this section. It is smartly laid out with detailed explanations and examples of how things work and how to get the Research Wizard to do everything you want.
Printable User Manual and Instructional Videos There’s also a User Manual on the site as a.pdf file. Open it up and read it online.
Or print it out and keep it handy so you’ll always have quick and easy access to the do-it-yourself help that you need. From the Research Wizard, you can get there by going to the Menu Bar, clicking on Internet and then selecting the Research Wizard Product Page.
Or go to Once there, click on the Download Software tab. Then scroll down the page until you get to the Reference Material and Help section.
There, you’ll find links to the:. Research Wizard User Manual. Top 10 Screening Guide. Quick Start Stock Picking and Backtesting Videos.
There’s even a User Manual for the Integrated Company Analysis (ICA) program as well as a detailed ‘slideshow’ on how to use the program. More Videos on Advanced Backtesting There’s also three more videos (all rolled into one) on the Advanced Backtesting feature.
This video walks you thru, step by step, how to use all of the features of the Advanced Backtester. Follow the instructions, and you’ll be a pro at it in no time. Go to: Click on the Adnanced Backtesting tab On that page, you find a written description on the Advanced Backtester, a Quick Start set-up guide, and the Advanced Backtesting video which will show you how it works. Research Wizard Chat Support We’re also pleased to announce a new ‘Chat’ support feature as well.
Within the Research Wizard, go to your Menu Bar and click on Chat. The Chat Window will pop up in a new Internet Explorer window. In the bottom window, type in your question, and a Research Wizard representative, will respond to you, providing timely and informative help. If you click on the chat feature during non-business hours (9 am to 5 pm CST), your chat question will be sent to the Research Wizard group via e-mail, where someone is likely online and able to respond to you even after normal business hours. If there are no representatives logged in, the Chat window will look like this. (See below.) Just type in your question, click submit, and your question will be sent to the Research Wizard group where somebody will respond asap. Research Wizard Representative And of course, you can call in to the Research Wizard group at: 1 (888) 775-8350 The phone will be answered by the first Research Wizard specialist.
Of course, you can specifically call your personal representative who helped you sign up for the program in the first place. If you don’t know who your rep is (or his phone number or e-mail), simply call in on the above number and anyone in the Research Wizard support group can help you with that Summary The Research Wizard is one of the most powerful stock picking, backtesting and research tools out there. But be sure you are also utilizing one of the most important resources you have as a Research Wizard subscriber – and that’s our expert and professional support staff and the numerous videos, articles and help guides available. And if you don’t see an answer on one of your questions within our resource materials, be sure to send us an e-mail letting us know what you’d like for us to demonstrate – right here in these Tips and Tricks. You’ll see the ‘We Welcome Your Feedback’ invitation at the bottom of every one of these issues. And don’t be shy about writing us. We really do welcome your feedback.
Because if you have a question, more than likely someone else was wondering about that very same thing. So make sure you accessing all of the helpful resources. And let us know how we can make our support center even better. We welcome your feedback! If you have questions or an idea you'd like to see us demonstrate here, we'll show this in the next letter. Send your comments to.
Research Wizard If you have questions or an idea you'd like to see demonstrated here, please send your comments to: You Can Access All of a Company’s Data with a Click of a Mouse The Research Wizard makes it quick and easy to access all of a Company’s stock data with a click of a mouse. Any data, within the Research Wizard’s universe of stocks, is only a click away. Below are some quick tips on some of my favorite (and lesser known) ways to put all of this data at your fingertips. Quick Tip #1: Accessing Company Data This is probably my favorite way to quickly see any piece of data I want for any stock almost instantly without having to run a screen. From the Menu Bar, click on Report and then Company Data.
The Company Data window will then pop up. You’ll notice that all of the Categories and all of the Items that are available from the main page are available in this window too. In the Ticker box, type in a Company’s ticker symbol and then click Go. (Let’s use AAPL for this example.) Now, you’ll be able to see all of the data values for all of the items for this stock with a simple click of the mouse. In the above image, all of the data for all of the items associated with the selected category (e.g., Descriptive) is displayed.
Select a different Category, and all of the values for those items will be displayed. You’ll also notice that whichever item you click on in the Items window, the item’s definition is displayed in the definition box at the bottom of the window as shown above. (And you can always tell which item you’ve selected because you’ll see that a small ‘marquee’ surrounds the item.
See the marquee surrounding Item #3, Company data?). Note: the numbers preceding each item is simply the item’s numerical identifier and is not an item’s value.
For example: ‘3’ is the numerical identifier These identifiers are how the database identifies an item and how an item in represented in a Calculated Expression. The next time you need to quickly access a certain data point (or points) for a stock, try using the Company Data window. Quick Tip #2: Viewing Data Summary and Distribution Statistics Here’s another great data feature that’s not well known but extremely helpful.
There will be times when you’re not sure what values are considered good or bad for an item. Or you may simply want to have a visual view of how the data values are distributed across all the stocks in the universe. From the main page, select a Category and an Item as you normally would when building a screen or report. For this example, let’s use P/E using 12 months EPS. Once the item is selected, right-click it once with your right mouse button.
A menu will pop up. Select Item Summary (as shown below.). After left-clicking Item Summary, an Item Summary Window will pop up. Now you can see how an item’s values are distributed across all the stocks in the universe.
This window contains the following statistics:. Universe - number of stocks in the universe. Number of N/A-s – number of N/A’s for this item in the universe. High – the highest value for the item in the universe. Low – the lowest value for the item in the universe.
Mean – the average value for the item in the universe. Median – the median value for the item in the universe. Standard Deviation – the standard deviation for the item in the universe. There’s also a graphical Item Summary Histogram Table This display groups the values into equal ranges around the item’s mean value.
Each bar represents the number of companies within a certain range of values to visually show how the items data values are distributed amongst all the companies in the universe. The Item Summary Histogram Table has three rows. The first row contains the segments of the values range. The second row contains the number of companies falling within the particular range.
The third row shows the percentage of companies within the particular range. The next time you’re building a screen and are wondering what value to use, take a look at the Item Summary window to see how that item is distributed over all the other stocks in the universe to get a point of reference. Quick Tip #3: Accessing the Zacks Company Snapshot Reports and More This article wouldn’t be complete without mentioning how to access the Zacks Company Snapshot reports which feature key decision making information. This color report includes a company description, actual and estimated EPS, company vs.
Industry ratings, fundamental data, broker recommendations, price charts and the Zacks Rank. Zacks Company Snapshot To access the Zacks Company Snapshot from the main page:. Click on the Snapshot button on the left side of the program. Once the Company Reports window pops up (below) type in a ticker symbol in the Enter Ticker box. (As a default, you’ll see the Zacks Company Snapshot radio button will be selected.) Click the OK button and the Zacks Company Snapshot report will pop up. (See below.) From this report you’ll find the:. Some of the most Commonly Referred to Data in the Company Summary Table at the top of the report.
Access other Key Measures in the Fundamental and Technical Data window. See what Wall Street is saying about the stocks in the Broker Recommendations section. At the center of the report is the EPS-Actual, EPS-Estimates chart. This chart plots the stock price versus the 12-month earnings per share. The chart includes fiscal year-end data going back five years, quarter-end data for the last four quarters and estimates for the next two quarters. It also shows the estimated earnings that are projected one, two, and three-five years out. The overlay of both price and earnings provides a visual representation of how the stock has been trading relative to its past growth in earnings as well as how analysts perceive its future earnings growth prospects.
Beneath that chart is the EPS Surprise and Estimates Revisions graph. And at the bottom of the Snapshot there’s a Company vs. Industry Comparison table where you can instantly size up a company compared to its peers. View these reports through the program or print them for reading. As a convenience, you can also print up multiple Snapshot reports with a single click of your mouse. Just run a screen or open up a portfolio. For a screen:.
run a screen as you normally would. then hit your back button to get back to the main page. click on the Snapshot button. click the Print Snapshot for Active Tickers button (see below) Note: once you click on this button, a window will pop up asking you if you want to print out all of the ‘X’ number of Company Snapshot Reports.
(See below.) If you do, click Yes and they will begin printing. If you don’t, click No to cancel. In the above screenshot, there are 25 active tickers with Company Snapshot Reports to print up. Running Expanded Company Reports. Click the Snapshot button. When the Company Report window pops up, type in a ticker and then select the Expanded Company Reports radio button.
From the drop down box, you’ll be able to choose from many different reports. Click on any one of the reports and then click OK and they will open up in a new browser window. The different Expanded Company Reports are:. Company Profile. Full Company Report. Research Summary.
Earnings Estimates. Analyst’s Recommendations. Ameritron als-600 problems.
Industry/Sector. Insiders Report. Annual Income Statement.
Annual Balance sheet. Annual Cash Flow Statement. Quarterly Income Statement. Quarterly Balance Sheet Below is a sample of one of the Expanded Company Reports. This one depicts a screenshot of the Company Profile report. Once you’re on this page, you can access any of the other reports from the Choose a Report drop down menu. You can also look at reports for different stocks by typing in a new ticker in the Enter Symbol ticker box.
Interactive Charts and Zacks Equity Research You can also access the Interactive Charts and Zacks Equity Research reports from the Company Reports window as well. Click the Snapshot button. When the Company Report window pops up, type in a ticker and then select the Interactive Charts and Zacks Equity Research radio button. Click the OK button and the Interactive Charts and Zacks Equity Research window pops up. (See below.) In addition to the Interactive Java Charts, there are four fundamental overlay studies that can be applied as well: - Price & Consensus - 12 Month EPS - Price & EPS Surprise - Broker Recommendations To apply them to a chart, just click on the corresponding radio button at the top of the window. You can also access our Zacks Equity Research (ZER) reports from our team of senior analysts.
Just click on the radio button next to ZER. Zacks Equity Research provides the best of quantitative and qualitative analysis to help investors know what stocks to buy and which to sell for the long-term.
Our staff of senior analysts issue recommendations and target prices based on a six-month time horizon. The Zacks Equity Research analyst reports contain our analysts’ recommendations as well as their in-depth written description on the company.
Note: You can also pull up the Interactive Charts and Zacks Equity Research window from the report page. Just run a screen or report as you normally would. On the report page, just: - left click the ticker to select it - then right click it - and then choose Interactive Java Charts and ZER When the Chart window is activated in this manner, all of the report’s tickers are listed on the right. To scroll through the list, click the Up and Down Arrows on the right.
Linking to Integrated Company Analysis If you have the optional Zacks product, Integrated Company Analysis (ICA), you can have an instantaneous link to that module. To access ICA from the Research Wizard:. Click the Snapshot button. When the Company Report window pops up, type in a ticker and then select the Integrated Company Analysis radio button. Click the OK button and the Integrated Company Analysis program pops up in a separate window. Summary With the Research Wizard, any data is no more than a few mouse clicks away. And with the Quick Tips featured in this article, you’re now ready to get your information even faster.
We welcome your feedback! If you have questions or an idea you'd like to see us demonstrate here, we'll show this in the next letter. Send your comments to.
DATABASES Database Downloads. (Backtesting Database) NEW!
For 'local mode' users and Advanced Backtesting Customers. Just download the historical backtesting database and backtest your strategies anytime and anywhere, even when you don't have an internet connection. (Screening Database - Optional) The Research Wizard automatically accesses the most up-to-date information each time you open the program. All you need is an internet connection. No need to worry about downloading data each day. However, if you'd like to use the program in 'local' mode, (ideal if you know you may not have access to an internet connection later), you can download the most up-to-date database and then use the program anywhere.).
Research Wizard If you have questions or an idea you'd like to see demonstrated here, please send your comments to: This is a quick tip for quickly changing dates in a Screen or a Report. The Research Wizard has a built-in functionality where it always pulls in the most recent data no matter what.
If you’re looking at the most recent Quarterly Earnings results or the last Earnings Surprise, it will always find the most recent data. Whether you built and saved that screen or report yesterday or last year, it always grabs the most recent values. However, there are times when you’ll want to specifically key in on an actual date or period. For example, let’s say it was earnings season and we were halfway thru it: the companies that have just reported earnings will display their just reported numbers. However, if they haven’t reported yet, they will display their previously reported numbers since that is the most recent value.
So there will be times when you’ll want to build a date specific report, like: ‘show me only the Earning results for the period ending 6/2009’, meaning it will only show values for that period and that period only. This is also easy to create. But after you create a date specific Screen or Report and save it, you’ll need to change the dates the next time you want to key in on a different date-specific period.
Zacks Research Wizard Cost
But with this shortcut, there’s no need to have start all over from scratch. You can simply do a ‘replace all’ command within the file itself to change one date to another in one fell swoop.
Replace All Let’s use a date-specific Report as an example. For this, let’s say in your report you have several items that are pointing to the period end date of 06/2009. Quarterly EPS. Quarterly EPS Surprise. Quarterly Sales. Quarterly Sales Surprise. (and whatever else you like) Below is a snapshot of what that report would look like.
I named it quarterly report. See the report columns below with the dates 06/2009? (The screen BTW is simply looking for S&P 500 companies.) So now, let’s say you want to change your report to pull up only values for the period ending 09/2009. Follow these steps:. Go to Report on your Menu Bar and select Open report Definition. A Report Definition window will pop up. (See below.).
Now go find the report you want to edit. For this example, we’ll select the report called: ‘quarterly report’. To select it, simply left-click it one time so it is highlighted, i.e., turns blue. (See below.).
Then right-click it and a Menu will pop up. Next, on the Menu, select ‘Open With’. An ‘Open With’ window will pop up. Find the program Notepad (that’s what you’ll want to open the file with), and the select the OK button. Note: If you do not see Notepad, select the ‘Browse’ button and locate it that way. Notepad is usually located in your Accessories folder.) Also, once you’ve selected the correct program, you can check off the box that reads: ‘Always use the selected program to open this kind of file’. Then the next time you run this step, Notepad will be the default program selection as the image above shows.
Once you’ve found and selected the Notepad program, click the OK button. The report will open up as a Notepad file. Next, go to Edit on your Menu Bar and select ‘Replace’.
When you do, a ‘Replace’ window will pop up as shown below. In the first box (the Find What: box), we want to put in the date 06/2009.
Then in the second box (the Replace with: box), type in 09/2009. What we’ll be doing in replacing all the dates of 06/2009 (wherever and however many times they appear) with the date 09/2009. Here’s how it should look when you’ve completed the above two steps. Note: Click Save As if you want to give that ‘new’ file a different name. Then ‘exit’ out of Notepad by going to File on your Menu Bar and clicking ‘Exit’ (or click the ‘X’ in the upper right corner not shown in the below image). Now you’re back to the Report Definition window.
(See below.) Your report (‘quarterly report’ for example), will still be selected. Just double-click it or left-click on the Open button to load your newly edited report.
Now your report will have all of the new dates in there (i.e., 09/2009 instead of the 06/2009 that was in there before). And what a great time saver.