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 Joy Global, Inc. JOY, 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 JOY.

A key reason for this move has been the negative trend in earnings estimate revisions. For the full year, we have seen 8 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 $1.27 a share a month ago to its current level of 29 cents per share.

Also, for the current quarter, Joy Global has seen 4 downward estimate revisions versus 0 revisions in the opposite direction, dragging the consensus estimate down to a loss of 5 cents a share from 14 cents per share over the past 30 days.   

The stock also has seen some pretty dismal trading lately, as the share price has dropped 14.7% 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 Machinery–Construction/Mining industry, you may instead consider a better-ranked stock– Astec Industries, Inc. ASTE. The stock currently holds a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and may be better selection at this time.

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