Similar to wise buying decisions, exiting certain underperformers at the right time helps maximize portfolio returns. Selling off losers can be difficult, but if both the share price and estimates are falling, it could be time to get rid of the security before more losses hit your portfolio.
One such stock that you may want to consider dropping is Rice Energy Inc. (RICE), which has witnessed a significant price decline in the past four weeks, and it has seen negative earnings estimate revisions for the current quarter and the current year. A Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) further confirms weakness in RICE.
A key reason for this move has been the negative trend in earnings estimate revisions. For the full year, we have seen 4 estimates moving down in the past 30 days, compared with no upward revision. This trend has caused the consensus estimate to trend lower, going from 24 cents a share a month ago to its current level of 16 cents.
Also, for the current quarter, Rice Energy has seen 3 downward estimate revisions versus no revision in the opposite direction, dragging the consensus estimate down to 4 cents a share from 6 cents over the past 30 days.
The stock also has seen some pretty dismal trading lately, as the share price has dropped 17.7% in the past month.
So it may not be a good decision to keep this stock in your portfolio anymore, at least if you don’t have a long time horizon to wait.
If you are still interested in the Oil-U.S. Exploration & Production industry, you may instead consider some better-ranked stocks like Sandridge Mississippian Trust II (SDR), Atlas Resource Partners, L.P. (ARP) and Cheniere Energy, Inc. (LNG). Among these stocks, Sandridge Mississippian Trust carries a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), while Atlas Resource Partners and Cheniere Energy hold a Zacks Rank #2 (buy). With favorable Zacks Rank, these stocks may be better selections at this time.
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