CHICAGO, March 29, 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): Agree Realty Corporation (NYSE: ADC) and Capella Education Company (Nasdaq: CPLA). Further, Zacks announced #4 Rankings (Sell) on two other widely held stocks: Grand Canyon Education Inc (Nasdaq: LOPE) and Prestige Brands Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: PBH). To see the full Zacks #5 Rank List - Stocks to Sell Now visit: http://at.zacks.com/?id=92
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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 ADC and CPLA 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:
Agree Realty Corporation's (NYSE: ADC) fourth-quarter loss of 12 cents per share, reported on March 1, came in a 73 cents worse than analysts' expectations. Moreover the net income per diluted share also decreased by nearly 39% on a year-over-year basis. For 2011, the Zacks Consensus Estimate moved down 11 cents to a profit of $2.27 per share over the past month. The forecast for 2012 dropped 19 cents to $2.19 per share in the same period.
Capella Education Company (Nasdaq: CPLA) posted a fourth-quarter earnings of $1.09 per share on Feb 15, in contrast to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for a profit of $1.11. The full-year average forecast is pegged at a profit of $3.51 per share, which declined from $3.59 in the last 30 days. Next year's estimate slid 83 cents to $3.62 per share in a span of 60 days.
Here is a synopsis of why LOPE and PBH 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;
Grand Canyon Education Inc (Nasdaq: LOPE) fourth - quarter profit of 29 cents per share, announced on Feb 22, missed analysts' expectations by 12%. Operating income for the fourth quarter of 2010 fell $6.6 million as compared to $17.9 million for the same period in 2009. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2011 fell 27 cents to a profit of $1.11 per share over the 30 days as all the 9 covering analysts revised downwards. The same period has seen a decline of 27 cents in the forecast for 2012, which now stands at a profit of $1.36 per share.
Prestige Brands Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: PBH) reported a third-quarter profit of 20 cents per share in the month of February while analysts anticipated a profit of 22 cents. Moreover the diluted EPS for the third month ended December 31, 2010 was $0.04 which was 16 cents lower than the EPS of 2009 in the same period. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year dipped 2 cents to a profit of 80 cents per share in the last 60 days as covering analysts pulled back on expectations.
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 +27%. 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 (-0.9% versus +9%). Thus, the Zacks Rank system allows investors to truly manage portfolio trading effectively.
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