Zacks Sell List Highlights: Pinnacle Financial Partners, Marten Transport Ltd., Genzyme Corporation and MDS Inc.

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--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): Pinnacle Financial Partners (Nasdaq: PNFP) and Marten Transport Ltd. (Nasdaq: MRTN). Further, Zacks announced #4 Rankings (Sell) on two other widely held stocks: Genzyme Corporation (Nasdaq: GENZ) and MDS Inc. (NYSE: MDZ). To see the full Zacks #5 Rank List - Stocks to Sell Now visit: http://at.zacks.com/?id=92

“Zacks Rank Guide: Harnessing the Power of Earnings Estimate Revisions”

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 PNFP and MRTN 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:

Pinnacle Financial Partners (Nasdaq: PNFP) posted a third-quarter loss of 15 cents per share earlier this week, wider than analysts’ expectations, a loss of 9 cents. Last year, the company had earned 39 cents per share. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year widened to a loss of $1.25 per share from $1.20 in the last 30 days. Three analysts out of 11, polled by Zacks, cut back on estimates during that time.

Marten Transport Ltd. (Nasdaq: MRTN) announced third-quarter earnings per share of 16 cents on Oct 20, which decreased 43% year over year, due to a sharp fall in revenues. It also missed the average forecast of 22 cents per share. Revenues came in at $129.4 million, recording a 21% drop. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the full year fell to 79 cents per share, from 83 cents in the last 7 days, reflecting cuts by 3 out of 6 analysts.

Here is a synopsis of why GENZ and MDZ 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;

Genzyme Corporation (Nasdaq: GENZ) recently slashed its full-year profit outlook to $2.26, down from its previous guidance of $2.35 to $2.90. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the year is currently $1.94 per share. The average forecast for the following year slipped to $3.45 from $3.48 over the past month as 3 out of 10 analysts reduced expectations. Genzyme yesterday reported an 8.6% slump in third-quarter revenues to $1.06 billion.

MDS Inc. (NYSE: MDZ) swung to a third-quarter loss of 15 cents per share, announced on Sept 10, while analysts expected a loss of 2 cents. Net revenues declined 21% from last year to $192 million. The last month 1 analyst out of 3 lowered their estimate, widening the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year to a loss of 7 cents per share, from a loss of 4 cents.

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.

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

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