CHICAGO, June 21, 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): Dole Food Company, Inc.(NYSE:DOLE) and Medifast, Inc. (NYSE:MED).Further, Zacks announced #4 Rankings (Sell) on two other widely held stocks: Deckers Outdoor Corp (NASDAQ:DECK) and Iconix Brand Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ICON) .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 DOLE and MED 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:
Dole Food Company, Inc.(NYSE:DOLE) announced first -quarter profit of 12 cents per share on May 8 which came behind the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 19 cents. However, the diluted earnings per share fell by 70% on a year-over-year basis. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year slipped 20 cents per share to $1.22 in the last 60 days. Next year's estimate also dipped 21 cents per share to $1.48 per share in that time span.
Medifast, Inc. (NYSE:MED) posted a first -quarter profit of 32 cents per share on May 8, which came in 5 cents wider than the average forecast. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2012 fell to a profit of $1.22 per share from $1.23 over the past month with 1 out of 4 covering analysts slashing forecasts. Next year's forecasts slipped 4 cents to $1.51 per share in the same time span.
Here is a synopsis of why DECK and ICON 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;
Deckers Outdoor Corp (NASDAQ:DECK) first-quarter profit of 20 cents per share, posted on April 26, lagged analysts projections by nearly 20%. For 2012, the Zacks Consensus Estimate moved down 57 cents in the last 60 days as none of the 13 covering analysts cut back on forecasts. The forecast for next year slid 61 cents to $5.53 per share in the same time span.
Iconix Brand Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ICON) reported a first-quarter profit of 43 cents per share on April 26, that fell 6.52% short of the Zacks Consensus Estimate. The full-year average forecast is currently pegged at $1.68 per share, compared with the projection of $1.80 60 days ago. Next year's forecast dropped 9 cents 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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