An apparatus and method for performing right-shifting operations on packed quadword data. For example, one processor embodiment comprises a decoder to decode a right-shift instruction, a first source register to store a plurality of packed quadword data elements, and execution circuitry to execute the decoded right-shift instruction. The execution circuitry comprises shift circuitry with sign preservation logic to right-shift first and second packed quadword data elements in the first source register by an amount specified in an immediate value or in a control value in a second source register, the right-shifting to generate first and second right-shifted quadwords, the sign preservation logic to shift in the sign bit. The execution circuitry is to cause selection of 32 most significant bits of the first and second right-shifted quadwords to be written to 32 least significant bit positions of first and second quadword data element locations of a destination register.