65 Percent of Stocks Posted Positive Returns for Fourth Quarter 2001 According to Weiss Ratings; Many Harbor Excessive Risk For Investors.Business Editors PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 19, 2002 Sixty-five percent of common stocks posted positive returns for the fourth quarter of 2001, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Weiss Ratings, Inc., the nation's only independent provider of ratings and analyses of financial services The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page. companies, mutual funds and stocks. "These numbers reflect the obvious rebound rebound (rē´bownd), n/v 1. a recovery from illness. n 2. an outbreak of fresh reflex activity after withdrawal of a stimulus rebound adjective in the market since late September September: see month. ," commented Martin D. Weiss, Ph.D., chairman of Weiss Ratings, Inc. "What's not so obvious to many analysts is that many of the stocks providing good returns are high-risk high-risk adjective Referring to an ↑ risk of suffering from a particular condition Infectious disease Referring to an ↑ risk for exposure to blood-borne pathogens, which occurs with blood bank technicians, dental professionals, dialysis unit , volatile With regard to computer memory, it means "temporary" and not "highly changeable," which is the usual meaning of the word. See volatile memory. 1. (programming) volatile - volatile variable. 2. (storage) volatile - See non-volatile storage. issues that could turn down just as quickly." Among the 9,000 stocks covered by Weiss, only 15 received Weiss' top A rating. These delivered an average return of 17.3 percent for the quarter, outperforming the S&P 500 by seven percentage points, without exposing investors to excessive risk. The 15 companies are:
% Return
from Weiss
Company Sector 10/1/01 to Investment
12/31/01 Rating
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Atrion Corp (NDQ:ATRI) Utilities 66.45% A
Rightchoice Mgd Care
(acquired by WLP) Health Care 39.84% A
Affiliated Comp Svcs
(NYSE:ACS) Computers 30.36% A
National Home Health Care
(NDQ:NHHC) Health Care 29.02% A
Ryan's Family Steakhouses
(NDQ:RYAN) Food & Beverage 26.46% A
Corvel Corp (NDQ:CRVL) Financial Svcs 24.52% A
Frisch's Restaurants Inc
(AMEX: FRS) Food & Beverage 11.55% A
Eastern Amern Natural Gas
(NYSE:NGT) Financial Svcs 7.76% A
United Health Group, Inc.
(NYSE:UNH) Health Care 6.42% A
Bowl America Inc - CL A
(AMEX:BWL.A) Leisure 6.29% A
Great Northern Iron Ore Ppty
(NYSE:GNI) Financial Svcs 4.06% A
First Banks Amer Inc (NYSE:FBA) Financial Svcs 2.84% A
National Bancshares Cp/Tx
(acquired by IBOC) Financial Svcs 2.46% A
Imperial Oil Ltd (AMEX:IMO) Energy 1.85% A
Petro-Canada (NYSE:PCZ) Energy -0.16% A
Weiss Investment Rating:
A = Excellent; B =Good; C = Fair; D = Weak; E = Very Weak
At the same time, 198 stocks received Weiss' lowest possible E rating. These not only underperformed the S&P 500 by eight percentage points, but also exposed investors to excessive risk. Prime examples include:
% Return
from Weiss
Company Sector 10/1/01 to Investment
12/31/01 Rating
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Healthcare Integrated Svcs
(AMEX:HII) Health Care -77.89% E-
Queryobject Systems Corp
(AMEX: OBJ) Computers -77.14% E-
Gliatech Inc (NDQ:GLIA) Health Care -73.44% E-
Global Technovations Inc
(AMEX:GTN) Communications -65.85% E-
Bethlehem Steel Corp (NYSE:BS) Metals -64.84% E-
Star Multi Care Services
(NDQ:SMCS) Health Care -49.11% E-
Sunrise Technology Intl Inc
(NDQ:SNRS) Health Care -48.94% E-
Comdial Corp.
(NDQ:CMDL) Communications -45.90% E-
Finova Group Inc
(OTC:FNVG.OB) Financial Svcs -45.54% E-
World Airways Inc
(NDQ:WLDA) Transportation -43.21% E-
Weiss Investment Rating:
A = Excellent; B = Good; C = Fair; D = Weak; E = Very Weak
The Weiss stock rating system, recently introduced by Weiss Ratings, Inc., reviews more than 9,000 stocks, including all those traded on the New York Stock Exchange New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) World's largest marketplace for securities. The exchange began as an informal meeting of 24 men in 1792 on what is now Wall Street in New York City. , the American Stock Exchange American Stock Exchange (AMEX) Stock exchange in the U.S. Originally known as “the Curb,” it began as an outdoor marketplace in New York City c. 1850. It moved indoors to its present location in the Wall Street area in 1921. , and Nasdaq. Among these, 6,485 are rated, with each assigned as·sign tr.v. as·signed, as·sign·ing, as·signs 1. To set apart for a particular purpose; designate: assigned a day for the inspection. 2. both a performance and a risk rating. The two components are then combined to derive de·rive v. 1. To obtain or receive from a source. 2. To produce or obtain a chemical compound from another substance by chemical reaction. a stock's composite composite, alternate common name for Asteraceae or Compositae, the aster family. composite - aggregate investment rating. Weiss also issues investment ratings on over 11,000 mutual funds, covering both equity and fixed income funds, and provides financial safety ratings on over 15,000 financial institutions, such as banks, insurance companies, and brokerage BROKERAGE, contracts. The trade or occupation of a broker; the commissions paid to a broker for his services. firms. Unlike the Weiss Investment Ratings, which focus on the risks and rewards of specific stock and mutual fund investments, the Weiss Safety Ratings evaluate the financial health of the company itself. Investors needing more information on the investment quality for a specific stock can purchase a rating and summary analysis for as little as $15 by contacting Weiss Ratings at 1-800-289-9222. The Weiss Investment Ratings are also available online at www.WeissRatings.com and at many public libraries in Weiss Rating's Guide to Common Stocks. Note to editors: Sector-specific stock ratings and analyses are available. Review copies of Dr. Martin D. Weiss's new book, The Ultimate Safe Money Guide: How Everyone 50 and Over Can Protect, Save, and Grow Their Money, are available upon request. |
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