CHICAGO, July 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): Park Electrochemical Corp.  (NYSE: PKE) and Shanda Interactive Entertainment Ltd ADR (Nasdaq: SNDA). Further, Zacks announced #4 Rankings (Sell) on two other widely held stocks: Air Methods Corporation (Nasdaq: AIRM) and Abaxis, Inc. (Nasdaq: ABAX).

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 PRGS and PKE 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:

Park Electrochemical Corp. (NYSE: PKE) announced fourth-quarter profit of 35 cents per share on May 2 that missed analysts' expectations by 14.63%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year slipped to $1.59 per share from $1.80 per share in the last 60 days as next year's estimate dipped 12 cents per share to $1.83 per share in that time span.

Shanda Interactive Entertainment Ltd ADR (Nasdaq: SNDA) posted a first-quarter profit of 22 cents per share on June 1, which came in 5 cents wider than the average forecast. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the full year fell to $1.36 per share from $1.55 per share over the past two months. For 2012, analysts expect a profit of $1.90 per share, compared to last two month's projection for a profit of $1.97 per share.  

Here is a synopsis of why AIRM and ABAX 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;

Air Methods Corporation (Nasdaq: AIRM) first-quarter profit of 47 cents per share, posted on May 5, lagged analysts' projections by 4.08%. Estimate for current year slid 30 cent per share to $3.63 per share over the past month as next year's estimate dipped 1 cents per share to $4.51 per share in that time span.

Abaxis, Inc. (Nasdaq: ABAX) reported a first-quarter profit of 15 cents per share on July 28 that fell 6.25% short of the Zacks Consensus Estimate. The full-year average forecast is currently 72 cents per share, compared with last month's projection of 73 cents per share. Next year's forecast dropped to 96 cents per share from 98 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.

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

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