CHICAGO, Sept. 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Zacks.com releases
details on a group of stocks that are currently members of the
exclusive Zacks #5 Rank List – Stocks to Sell Now. These stocks are
currently rated as a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell): Infinity
Property and Casualty Corp. (Nasdaq: IPCC) and Harleysville
Group Inc. (Nasdaq: HGIC). Further, Zacks announced #4 Rankings
(Sell) on two other widely held stocks: Compass Minerals
International, Inc. (NYSE: CMP) and Magna International
Inc. (NYSE: MGA).
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101027/ZIRLOGO)
To see the full Zacks #5 Rank List - Stocks to Sell Now visit:
http://at.zacks.com/?id=92
Since inception in 1988, the S&P 500 has outperformed the
Zacks #5 Rank List of Stocks to Sell Now by 80% annually (+2% vs.
+10%). While the rest of Wall Street continued to tout stocks
during the market declines of the last few years, Zacks told
investors which stocks to sell or avoid.
Here is a synopsis of why IPCC and HGIC have a Zacks Rank of #5
(Strong Sell) and should most likely be sold or avoided for the
next one to three months. Note that a #5 Strong Sell rating is
applied to 5% of all the stocks in the Zacks Rank universe:
Infinity Property and Casualty Corp. (Nasdaq: IPCC)
announced second-quarter profit of 44
cents per share on August 4
that missed analysts' expectations by 48.84%. The Zacks Consensus
Estimate for the current year slid to $2.35 per share from $3.61 per share in the last 60 days as next
year's estimate dipped 72 cents per
share to $3.14 per share in that time
span.
Harleysville Group Inc. (Nasdaq: HGIC) posted a
second-quarter loss of 43 cents per
share on August 8, which came in
1 cent wider than the average
forecast. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the full year fell to of
$1.21 per share from $1.29 per share over the past two months. For
2012, analysts expect a profit of $2.74 per share, compared to last two month's
projection for a profit of $2.95 per
share.
Here is a synopsis of why CMP and MGA have a Zacks Rank of 4
(Sell) and should also most likely be sold or avoided for the next
one to three months. Note that a #4 Sell rating is applied to 15%
of all the stocks ranked by Zacks;
Compass Minerals International, Inc. (NYSE: CMP)
second-quarter profit of 42 cents per
share, posted on July 28, lagged
analysts' projections by 12.50%. Estimate for current year slid
45 cents per share to $4.95 per share over two months as next year's
estimate dipped 53 cents per share to
$5.89 per share in that time
span.
Magna International Inc. (NYSE: MGA) reported a
second-quarter profit of $1.11 per
share on August 5 that fell 18.38%
short of the Zacks Consensus Estimate. The full-year average
forecast is currently $4.64 per
share, compared with last month's projection of $4.80 per share. Next year's forecast dropped to
$5.02 per share from $5.18 per share in the same period.
Truly taking advantage of the Zacks Rank requires the
understanding of how it works. The free special report;
"Zacks Rank Guide: Harnessing the Power of Earnings Estimate
Revisions" is available to provide this insightful background.
Download a free copy now to prosper in the years to come at
http://at.zacks.com/?id=93
About the Zacks Rank
Since 1988, the Zacks Rank has proven that "Earnings estimate
revisions are the most powerful force impacting stock prices."
Since inception in 1988, #1 Rank Stocks have generated an average
annual return of +28%. During the 2000-2002 bear market, Zacks #1
Rank stocks gained +43.8%, while the S&P 500 tumbled -37.6%.
Also note that the Zacks Rank system has just as many Strong Sell
recommendations (Rank #5) as Strong Buy recommendations (Rank #1).
Since 1988, Zacks Rank #5 stocks have significantly underperformed
the S&P 500 (2.8% versus +9.7%). Thus, the Zacks Rank system
allows investors to truly manage portfolio trading effectively.
Visit http://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the
performance numbers displayed in this press release.
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