If the rate of a company’s quarter-over-quarter earnings growth increases within a stipulated frame of time, it can be called earnings acceleration. Studies have shown that most successful stocks had seen an acceleration in earnings before an uptick in the stock price.In the case of earnings growth, you pay for something already reflected in the stock price. But earnings acceleration helps spot stocks that haven’t caught the attention of investors yet, which once secured will invariably lead to a rally in the share price. This is because earnings acceleration considers both the direction and magnitude of growth rates.An increasing percentage of earnings growth means that the company is fundamentally sound and has been on the right track for a considerable period. Meanwhile, a sideways percentage of earnings growth indicates a period of consolidation or slowdown, while a decelerating percentage of earnings growth may at times drag prices down.Screening ParametersLet’s look at stocks for which the last two quarter-over-quarter percentage EPS growth rates exceed the previous periods' growth rates. The projected quarter-over-quarter percentage EPS growth rates are also expected to be higher than the previous periods’ growth rates.EPS % Projected Growth (Q1)/(Q0) greater than EPS % Growth (Q0)/(Q-1): The projected growth rate for the current quarter (Q1) over the completed quarter (Q0) has to be greater than the growth rate from the completed quarter (Q0) over one quarter ago (Q-1).EPS % Growth (Q0)/(Q-1) greater than EPS % Growth (Q-1)/(Q-2): The growth rate for the completed quarter (Q0) over one quarter ago (Q-1) has to be greater than the growth rate from one quarter ago (Q-1) over two quarters ago (Q-2).EPS % Growth (Q-1)/(Q-2) greater than EPS % Growth (Q-2)/(Q-3): The growth rate from one quarter ago (Q-1) over two quarters ago (Q-2) has to be greater than the growth rate from two quarters ago (Q-2) over three quarters ago (Q-3).In addition to this, we have added the following parameters:Current Price greater than or equal to $5: This screens out low-priced stocks.Average 20-day volume greater than or equal to 50,000: High trading volume implies that the stocks have adequate liquidity.The above criteria narrowed down the universe of around 7,735 stocks to only 18. Here are the top three stocks:Theravance Biopharma TBPH is a diversified biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and commercializes organ-selective medicines in the United States, Europe, and Asia.Theravance Biopharma has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 40.1%. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.PattersonUTI Energy PTEN is an oilfield services company. Patterson-UTI, in its current form, came into existence following a merger between Patterson Energy, Inc. and UTI Energy Corporation.PattersonUTI Energy has a Zacks Rank #2. The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is nearly 12%.Select Energy Services WTTR is a provider of water solutions to the U.S. unconventional oil and gas industry.Select Energy Services has a Zacks Rank #2. The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 83.4%.You can get the rest of the stocks on this list by signing up now for your 2-week free trial to the Research Wizard and start using this screen in your own trading. Further, you can also create your own strategies and test them first before taking the investment plunge.The Research Wizard is a great place to begin. It's easy to use. Everything is in plain language. And it's very intuitive. Start your Research Wizard trial today. And the next time you read an economic report, open up the Research Wizard, plug your finds in, and see what gems come out.Click here to sign up for a free trial to the Research Wizard today.Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material.Disclosure: Performance information for Zacks’ portfolios and strategies are available at: https://www.zacks.com/performance 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days Just released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers "Most Likely for Early Price Pops." Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +25.4% per year. So be sure to give these hand-picked 7 your immediate attention. See them now >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report PattersonUTI Energy, Inc. (PTEN): Free Stock Analysis Report Theravance Biopharma, Inc. (TBPH): Free Stock Analysis Report Select Energy Services (WTTR): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research