Zacks Sell List Highlights: Bally Technologies, Polaris, Millennium Pharmaceuticals and Compuware

Business Wire, Oct 18, 2006

CHICAGO -- 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): Bally Technologies Inc. (NYSE: BYI) and Polaris Industries Inc. (NYSE: PII). Further, Zacks announced #4 Rankings (Sell) on two other widely held stocks: Millennium Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: MLNM) and Compuware Corp. (NASDAQ: CPWR). 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 Co Stocks to Sell Now by 129.7% annually (11.9% vs. 5.2% respectively). 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 BYI and PII 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:

Bally Technologies Inc. (NYSE: BYI) has seen next year's earnings estimates drop four cents per share over the past two months. Standard & Poor's Ratings Services downgraded the company after BYI restated revenue and earnings for 2003 to 2005. S&P lowered Bally to a "B-" from "B" and kept the ratings on CreditWatch with negative implications.

Polaris Industries Inc. (NYSE: PII) has experienced a drop in analyst estimates. Earnings estimates for this year stand $2.77 per share, down 32 cents from 60 days ago. The company said that a continued decline in sales of snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles pushed its third-quarter profit down 12 percent, missing analyst expectations.

Here is a synopsis of why MLNM and CPWR 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:

Millennium Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: MLNM) has been the target of increasing bearishness by analysts. Over the past three months, next year's estimates have declined 60%. The new consensus estimate calls for two cents per share next year. The company has been involved in a bidding war with Genzyme for AnorMed.

Compuware Corp. (NASDAQ: CPWR) has seen its earnings estimates drop for this year. The current 2006 consensus estimate of 41 cents per share is a penny below the forecast of three months ago. The company said it issued estimates for second-quarter profit and revenue that trail current analyst predictions. Compuware estimated revenue at $288 million, down 3 percent from $296.6 million last year, due to weaker license sales.

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About the Zacks Rank

Since 1988, the Zacks Rank has proven that "Earnings estimate revisions are the most powerful force impacting stock prices." A $10,000 investment in the Zacks Rank list made in 1988 would now be worth $1.8 million - equivalent to a 32.4% annualized return! 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 underperformed the S&P 500 by 145.8% annually (+4.7% vs. +11.6%). Thus, the Zacks Rank system allows investors to truly manage portfolio trading effectively.

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