AI Trader | O’Neil: 14 pass the gate, ATRO best at 3.13:1

William@CANSLIM Research

I don’t guess and I don’t argue with the tape. I buy the best stocks — real earnings, real relative strength, real institutional buying — as they clear a proper base, and I cut every loss at 7 to 8 percent, no exceptions. I found 14 names worth acting on out of 164 I looked at. The strongest today is ATRO, offering 3.13:1 on my numbers — a clean base, the right price and volume, in a market that is trending. Below you’ll find the exact buy points, stops and targets, the way I would lay them out myself. The market is a confirmed uptrend; act accordingly.

Today’s dual scan surfaced 164 candidates (actionable 14, watch 14, avoid 136). Market regime: Confirmed Uptrend.

Published 2026-08-14 11:07.

The Market Comes First

The tape reads Confirmed Uptrend. I never fight the general market — three out of four stocks follow it. I only put money to work when the market is in a confirmed uptrend; when distribution stacks up or a correction sets in, I raise cash and wait. No individual chart is good enough to override that.

How I Screen — My Rules, Not Opinions

Today’s List at a Glance

Actionable 14 · Watch 14 · Avoid 136. Names, buy points, stops and targets are below for members.

Imminent — Close to Triggering

ATRO · Base breakout · R/R 3.13:1

Why now: The stock is sitting just 2.06% under a proper buy point at 94.56, with the RS line at a new high and today’s volume running 2.05x its 50-day average—institutions are clearly positioning. The 3.2-week base is shallow enough to be actionable, and the 3.13 reward/risk justifies waiting for the exact trigger. I want to see a decisive close above 94.56 on heavy volume; that’s the only signal that matters.

Why wait / risk: The base depth of 48% is ugly—this is a volatile, high-risk name, and a 3.63% extension off the 50-day MA leaves little room for error. If it fails to break out within the next week or stalls below 94.56 on declining volume, the setup is dead. A close below 87.0 (-8%) invalidates the trade immediately; no exceptions.

MPC · Base breakout · R/R 3.13:1

Why now: The stock is sitting just 0.26% below a proper buy point at 357.3, with the RS line at a new high—exactly where I want to see relative strength before a breakout. The up/down volume ratio of 1.464 confirms institutional accumulation beneath the surface, and the 3.13 reward-to-risk ratio justifies the wait for a trigger. This is a tight, coiled setup with the price at a 52-week high, not a laggard begging for a bounce.

Why wait / risk: Volume today is only 0.948x its 50-day average—that is not the heavy turnover I demand on a breakout. If it pokes through 357.3 on light trade, it’s a false signal, and the 46.92% base depth tells me this stock has already shown violent swings; a failed breakout here could retest the 8% stop quickly. I do not buy anticipation—I buy confirmation, and confirmation means volume.

HZO · Base breakout · R/R 3.13:1

Why now: This is a fresh base breakout with the stock just 0.8% off its 52-week high, and the RS line is at a new high—that’s the institutional footprint I want. Volume today is 1.5x the 50-day average, and up/down volume is nearly 2:1, confirming accumulation. The buy point at 52.56 is only 1% above the close, so the trigger is imminent, and the reward/risk at 3.1 justifies waiting for the exact entry.

Why wait / risk: The base is only 2.8 weeks long with 53.8% depth—that’s shallow and sloppy, not the tight, constructive pattern I prefer. Base quality is zero, and the stock is already 6.7% extended from the 50-day MA, so if it breaks out without holding above 52.56 on heavy volume, it’s a trap. I’ll pass unless it clears the pivot decisively; any close back below 48.36 invalidates the setup.

NTAP · Base breakout · R/R 3.13:1

Why now: The stock is sitting just 1.99% below a proper buy point at 209.16, with the RS line at a new high—exactly what I want to see before a breakout. Volume today is 1.075x its 50-day average, confirming institutional interest is building, and the 3.13 reward/risk ratio justifies waiting for the trigger. A 5-week base with a 54.75% depth is shallow enough to be constructive, and being at a 52-week high means it’s not a laggard.

Why wait / risk: The base quality score is weak at 0.37, and the 4.49% extension above the 50-day MA suggests it’s already getting stretched—a failed breakout here would be a trap. If it can’t clear 209.16 on volume at least 1.5x average, or if it drops below the 192.43 stop, the setup is invalidated and I’d move on.

GKOS · Base breakout · R/R 3.12:1

Why now: The stock is sitting 0.15% under a proper buy point at 189.73, with the RS line at a new high—exactly the kind of institutional footprint I want before a breakout. The up/down volume ratio of 2.007 tells me accumulation is real, and the 3.12 reward/risk justifies waiting for the trigger rather than guessing early.

Why wait / risk: Volume today is only 0.72x its 50-day average—that’s not the heavy trade I demand on a breakout. A move through 189.73 on light volume would be a false signal, and any close below the 174.55 stop invalidates the setup entirely.

Watch List — What’s Missing

Avoid — Why We’re Passing

What I’d Tell You

One, only buy when the market is with you. Two, buy in the zone — from the buy point to five percent past it, never more; the stock that gets away costs you nothing, the one you chase costs you money. Three, the seven-to-eight percent stop is not negotiable. Do those three things and the reward-to-risk takes care of itself.

Stage, pattern and sentiment labels are generated by rule-based approximations (Weinstein stage analysis, Minervini trend template and heuristic pattern detection), not by precise technical analysis. Data as of August 14, 2026. For informational and educational purposes only — not investment advice. Always verify against primary sources before making any investment decision. Ratings use open-data proxies for IBD-proprietary figures and may run looser than the originals.