Coverage initiation of a stock by analyst(s) leads to enhanced investor enthusiasm. This is because, investors generally assume that there is something in the stock that attracted the analysts to cover it. In other words, they assume that the company coming under the microscope definitely has some value. Why do analysts initiate coverage? Of course, stocks are not randomly picked to cover. A new coverage on a stock is usually the result of its promising future envisioned by the analyst(s). At times, increased investors’ focus on a stock motivates analysts to take a closure look at it. After all, who doesn’t love to produce something that is already in demand? Interestingly, stocks typically see an incremental upward price movement with a new analyst coverage compared to what they witness with a rating upgrade under an existing coverage. Of course, the price movement is a function of the recommendations from the new analysts. Positive recommendations – Buy and Strong Buy – generally lead to a significant positive incremental price reaction than Hold recommendations. In this regard, analysts hardly initiate coverage with a Strong Sell or Sell recommendation. However, one should also look for the average change in broker recommendation rather than a single recommendation change. Now, if an analyst gives a new recommendation on a company that has very few or no existing coverage, investors start paying more attention to it. Also, any new information attracts portfolio managers to build a position in the stock. So, it’s a good strategy to bet on stocks that have seen increased analyst coverage over the last few weeks. Screening Criteria: Number of Broker Ratings now greater than the Number of Broker Ratings four weeks ago (This will shortlist stocks that have recent new coverage.) Average Broker Rating less than Average Broker Rating four weeks ago ('Less than', means 'better than' four weeks ago.) The number of increased analyst coverage and improving average rating are the primary criteria of this strategy, but one should consider other relevant parameters to make the strategy foolproof. Here are the other screening parameters: Prices greater than or equal to 5 (as a stock below $5 will not likely create significant interest for most of the investors) Average Daily Volume greater than or equal to 100,000 shares (if volume isn’t enough, it will not attract individual investors). Here are 5 of the 9 stocks that passed the screen: Douglas Dynamics, Inc. (PLOW) Yirendai Ltd (YRD) Universal Forest Products Inc. (UFPI) Northwest Bancshares, Inc. (NWBI) CryoLife Inc. (CRY) You can get the rest of the stocks on this list by signing up now for your 2-week free trial to the Research Wizard and start using this screen in your own trading. Further, you can also create your own strategies and test them first before taking the investment plunge. The Research Wizard is a great place to begin. It's easy to use. Everything is in plain language. And it's very intuitive. Start your Research Wizard trial today. And the next time you read an economic report, open up the Research Wizard, plug your finds in, and see what gems come out. Click here to sign up for a free trial to the Research Wizard today. Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. Disclosure: Performance information for Zacks’ portfolios and strategies are available at: http://www.zacks.com/performance. Zacks Restaurant Recommendations: In addition to dining at these special places, you can feast on their stock shares. A Zacks Special Report spotlights 5 recent IPOs to watch plus 2 stocks that offer immediate promise in a booming sector. Download it free »Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report DOUGLAS DYNAMIC (PLOW): Free Stock Analysis Report UNIVL FST PRODS (UFPI): Free Stock Analysis Report NORTHWEST BNCSH (NWBI): Free Stock Analysis Report CRYOLIFE INC (CRY): Free Stock Analysis Report YIRENDAI LTD (YRD): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research