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Stock screeners are tools that let investors filter through a large number of stocks according to chosen criteria. It is important to remember that a stock screener is just a tool and every investment should be analyzed on its own merits to make sure it fits with your personal portfolio and risk characteristics. My weekly column finds interesting investment opportunities with the help of our Stock Screener.

To be honest, I decided on this stock screener quite by chance. I originally had my mind set on the Cosmetic & Skin Care industry for this week, but just above it was the Correctional Institutions industry. When prison management companies first became public I was so repulsed by the idea that I never followed up on them. Now, some ten years later, and after their performance the past year, I decided to take another look.

The four companies in the industry (in order of market capitalization) are Corrections Corporations of America (NYSE: CXW) with a $3.39 billion market cap, The Geo Group, Inc. (NYSE: GEO) with a market value of $1.22 billion, Cornell Companies, Inc. (NYSE: CRN) with a $302.52 million market cap and finally, the OTC traded (hence I won't cover it here) Avalon Correctional Services, Inc. (OTC: CITY).

Why even bother? Well, look at the year-to-date returns and decide for yourselves (the bottom, yellow line is the S&P 500), the rest, going up, are Cornell, CCA and Geo.

Better yet, one year returns are 54% for Cornell, 91% for CCA and 115% for Geo. So the question is -- have they run out of room to grow?

By all numbers and accounts, the gaming console war right now is easily being won by the Nintendo Wii over the much-ballyhooed Sony PlayStation 3. If you look at the numbers, it's not hard to see why (I think): less than a million PlayStation 3 consoles sold since launch in late November (due to parts supply issues) and more than a few million Nintendo Wii consoles shipped since roughly the same time. It also does not hurt that the Wii is only $250 while the cheapest PlayStation 3 costs double that at $500.

In addition to the war currently being raged -- and don't forgot the Microsoft Xbox 360, which has a head start of almost an entire year -- Nintendo is either planning or having a neat "re-launch" strategy that is taking place at national retailers like Circuit City Stores (NYSE: CC) and Best Buy (NYSE: BBY). Some stores sell out of the consoles very fast once a shipment arrives -- but could that shipment have been larger? I'm wondering if Nintendo is actually employing a multi-pronged "embargo" retail strategy that limits quantities shipped to retailers. Then, when it becomes available again, another "launch" is promoted by those same retailers, ala "new shipment of Nintendo Wiis just arrived -- get yours now!"

On that note, retailer Circuit City is having yet another "re-launch" of Nintendo's Wii on Sunday, February 11. Of course, "quantities are limited, while supplies last" are the two standard disclaimers on the "re-launch." In addition, no rainchecks will be given and there is a one per household limit. Talk about creating demand by making the console have such severe selling limits. I'm pretty sure this is part of a strategy instead of a logistics nightmare. For the uber-obsessive, www.wiitracker.com will track the inventory of these babies nationwide.