Company Screening

I was curious if anyone could give me some insight as to how you initially screen for companies that you may be interested in researching more thoroughly. I realize this may be more of an art form than a science, but I'd really appreciate any help. I'm trying to find a good long position. I've been using low multiples (trailing and forward)/high-ish margins compared to peers as a starting point and I feel like all the companies I've started looking into have ended up being semi-shitty, but not shitty enough to short.

Thanks a lot for your help.