Here's Why Momentum in Finward Bancorp (FNWD) Should Keep going

Core Viewpoint - The article emphasizes the importance of identifying and maintaining stock price trends for successful short-term investing, highlighting the use of a specific screening strategy to find stocks with strong fundamentals and positive price momentum [1][2]. Group 1: Stock Screening Strategy - The "Recent Price Strength" screen is designed to identify stocks with sufficient fundamental strength to sustain their upward price trends, focusing on those trading in the upper portion of their 52-week high-low range, indicating bullishness [3]. - Finward Bancorp (FNWD) is highlighted as a suitable candidate from this screen, having experienced a price increase of 10.3% over the past 12 weeks, reflecting investor confidence in its potential upside [4]. - A recent price increase of 5.4% over the last four weeks further confirms that FNWD's price trend remains intact, with the stock currently trading at 81.4% of its 52-week high-low range, suggesting a potential breakout [5]. Group 2: Fundamental Strength - FNWD holds a Zacks Rank 2 (Buy), placing it in the top 20% of over 4,000 ranked stocks based on earnings estimate revisions and EPS surprises, which are critical for near-term price movements [6]. - The Zacks Rank system has a strong historical performance, with Zacks Rank 1 stocks averaging an annual return of +25% since 1988, indicating the effectiveness of this ranking in identifying profitable stocks [7]. - The Average Broker Recommendation for FNWD is 1 (Strong Buy), reflecting high optimism from the brokerage community regarding the stock's near-term performance [7]. Group 3: Additional Insights - The article suggests that FNWD's price trend is unlikely to reverse soon, and encourages investors to explore other stocks that meet the criteria of the "Recent Price Strength" screen for potential investment opportunities [8]. - The Zacks Research Wizard is mentioned as a tool for backtesting stock-picking strategies, allowing investors to verify the effectiveness of their approaches based on historical performance [9].