2009-11-19 23:14:04 -

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): Hughes Communications Inc. (Nasdaq: HUGH : ) and Astec Industries, Inc. (Nasdaq: ASTE : ).

Further, Zacks announced #4 Rankings

(Sell) on two other widely held stocks: Abraxis Bioscience, Inc. (Nasdaq: ABII : ) and Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC : ).

To see the full Zacks #5 Rank List - Stocks to Sell Now visit: 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 HUGH and ASTE 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.



Hughes Communications Inc. (Nasdaq: HUGH : ) posted a third-quarter loss of 12 cents per share on Nov 4, compared to analysts’ expectations of a loss of 4 cents. The company’s earnings in the year-ago quarter stood at 18 cents per share. Revenues decreased to $251.4 million from last year’s $271.8 million. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2009 is now pegged at a loss of $2.44 per share that widened from a loss of $2.40 in the last week.


Astec Industries, Inc. (Nasdaq: ASTE : ) reported a 79% year-over-year decrease in third-quarter profit to 15 cents per share last month due to a slump in residential markets.
Quarterly earnings missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 53%. Sales declined 30% to $166.1 million. The full-year average forecast fell to 99 cents per share from $1.18 over the past month as 8 out of 12 covering analysts pulled back on projections.

Here is a synopsis of why ABII and RGC 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;


Abraxis Bioscience, Inc. (Nasdaq: ABII : ) announced a third-quarter loss of 69 cents per share on Nov 5, which decreased from last year’s loss of 3 cents. Analysts on average, polled by Zacks expected a loss of 53 cents per share. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has widened to a loss of $3.10 per share from $2.20 in the last 30 days. Next year’s estimate is pegged at a loss of $2.13 per share, worse than a month-ago forecast of $1.77.


Regal Entertainment Group’s (NYSE: RGC : ) third-quarter earnings of 5 cents per share, reported on Oct 29, missed analysts’ projections by 28%. Revenues slumped to $673.5 million from $757.6 million a year ago. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2009 stands at 62 cents per share, a decrease from 71 cents over the past month.
Thirteen out of 15 analysts reduced on estimates in that time span.

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 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.

Visit www.zacks.com/performance : for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.

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