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 AmTrust Financial Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:AFSI) , 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 #5 (Strong Sell) further confirms weakness in AFSI.
A key reason for this move has been the negative trend in earnings estimate revisions. For the full year, we have seen two estimates moving down in the past 30 days, compared with no upward revisions. This trend has caused the consensus estimate to trend lower, going from $1.67 a share a month ago to its current level of $1.45.
Also, for the current quarter, AmTrust Financial has seen two downward estimate revisions versus no revisions in the opposite direction, dragging the consensus estimate down to 36 cents a share from 46 cents over the past 30 days.
The stock also has seen some pretty dismal trading lately, as the share price has dropped 8.4% in the past month.
AmTrust Financial Services, Inc. Price and Consensus
AmTrust Financial Services, Inc. Price and Consensus | AmTrust Financial Services, Inc. Quote
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 Insurance - Property and Casualty industry, you may instead consider a better-ranked stock - Markel Corporation (NYSE:MKL) . The stock currently holds a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and may be a better selection at this time. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
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Markel Corporation (MKL): Free Stock Analysis Report
AmTrust Financial Services, Inc. (AFSI): Free Stock Analysis Report
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