Zacks.com featured expert Kevin Matras highlights: Air Transport Services, Comcast, Copart, Citi Trends and ExamWorks

CHICAGO, April 30, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Stocks in this week's article include: Air Transport Services (NASDAQ: ATSG – Free Report), Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA – Free Report), Copart (NASDAQ: CPRT – Free Report), Citi Trends (NASDAQ: CTRN – Free Report) and ExamWorks (NYSE: EXAM – Free Report). Kevin Matras goes over a screen that can help you find companies with accelerated earnings growth.

Screen of the Week written by Kevin Matras of Zacks Investment Research:

In good markets or bad, earnings are one of the most important things that influence stock prices.

But instead of just looking at only the most recent quarter's earnings, try looking for earnings acceleration too.

With earnings season in full swing, this is a good time to go over this.

Studies have shown that almost all of the most successful stocks in the past had displayed accelerated earnings BEFORE their most impressive price moves.

Sideways 'percentage earnings growth' (even if they're good) or decelerating 'percentage earnings growth' (strong or not) can potentially signal a period of consolidation (or slowdown), which in turn can flatten out prices or send them lower.

But increasing 'percentage earnings growth' (consistently improving from the company's prior percentage of earnings growth) can often be the difference between good stocks and great stocks.

For the rest of this Screen of the Week article please visit Zacks.com at: http://www.zacks.com/commentary/32349/

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