CHICAGO, Jan. 24, 2012 /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): Greif, Inc. (NYSE: GEF) and Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE: DRI). Further, Zacks announced #4 Rankings (Sell) on two other widely held stocks: Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. (Nasdaq: GMCR) and Chico's FAS, Inc. (NYSE: CHS).
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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 GEF and DRI 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:
Greif, Inc. (NYSE: GEF) announced fourth-quarter profit of 64 cents per share on December 7 that missed analysts' expectations by 8.57%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year slid to $3.69 per share from $3.70 per share in the last 30 days as next year's estimate dipped 1 cent per share to $4.28 per share in that time span.
Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE: DRI) posted a second-quarter profit of 41 cents per share on December 16, which came in 1 cent wider than the average forecast. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the full year fell to $3.54 per share from $3.55 per share over the past month. For 2013, analysts expect a profit of $4.01 per share, compared to last month's projection for a profit of $4.02 per share.
Here is a synopsis of why GMCR and CHS 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;
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. (Nasdaq: GMCR) fourth-quarter profit of 47 cents per share, posted on November 9, lagged analysts' projections by 2.08%. Estimate for current year slid 1 cent per share to $2.56 per share over a month as next year's estimate dipped 3 cents per share to $3.57 per share in that time span.
Chico's FAS, Inc. (NYSE: CHS) reported a third-quarter profit of 18 cents per share on November 22 that fell 10% short of the Zacks Consensus Estimate. The full-year average forecast is currently 80 cents per share, compared with last two month's projection of 88 cents per share. Next year's forecast dropped to 98 cents per share from $1.06 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.
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