Zacks Sell List Highlights: Gentiva Health Services, IMAX Corporation, China Lodging Group and The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – August 26, 2011 – 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): Gentiva Health Services, Inc. ( GTIV - Analyst Report) and IMAX Corporation ( IMAX - Snapshot Report). Further, Zacks announced #4 Rankings (Sell) on two other widely held stocks: China Lodging Group, Ltd ( HTHT - Snapshot Report) and The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company ( SMG - Snapshot Report).

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 GTIV and IMAX 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:

Gentiva Health Services, Inc. ( GTIV - Analyst Report) announced second-quarter profit of 49 cents per share on August 4 that missed analysts’ expectations by 24.62%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year slipped to $2.15 per share from $2.67 per share in the last 30 days as next year’s estimate dipped 92 cents per share to $1.83 per share in that time span.

IMAX Corporation ( IMAX - Snapshot Report) posted a second-quarter profit of 5 cents per share on July 28, which came in 12 cent wider than the average forecast. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the full year fell to 36 cents per share from 69 cents per share over the past month. For 2012, analysts expect a profit of 97 cents per share, compared to last month’s projection for a profit of $1.22 per share.  

Here is a synopsis of why HTHT and SMG 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;

China Lodging Group, Ltd ( HTHT - Snapshot Report) second-quarter profit of 10 cents per share, posted on August 15, lagged analysts’ projections by 9.09%. Estimate for current year slid 5 cents per share to 39 cents per share over a month as next year’s estimate dipped 9 cents per share to 74 cents per share in that time span.

The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company ( SMG - Snapshot Report) reported a third-quarter profit of $1.91 per share on August 8 that fell 12.79% short of the Zacks Consensus Estimate. The full-year average forecast is currently $2.98 per share, compared with last month’s projection of $3.15 per share. Next year’s forecast dropped to $3.36 per share from $3.64 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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Read the full analyst report on GTIV

Read the full analyst report on IMAX

Read the full analyst report on HTHT

Read the full analyst report on SMG