Potlatch Corp. Stock Downgraded (PCH)

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Potlatch (Nasdaq:PCH) has been downgraded by TheStreet Ratings from buy to hold. Among the primary strengths of the company is its respectable return on equity which we feel is likely to continue. At the same time, however, we also find weaknesses including deteriorating net income, poor profit margins and weak operating cash flow.

Highlights from the ratings report include:

• Current return on equity exceeded its ROE from the same quarter one year prior. This is a clear sign of strength within the company. Compared to other companies in the Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry and the overall market, POTLATCH CORP's return on equity significantly exceeds that of both the industry average and the S&P 500.
• POTLATCH CORP has exprienced a steep decline in earnings per share in the most recent quarter in comparison to its performance from the same quarter a year ago. Stable earnings per share over the past year indicate the company has sound management over its earnings and share float. However, the consensus estimates suggest that there will be an upward trend in the coming year. During the past fiscal year, POTLATCH CORP's EPS of $0.99 remained unchanged from the prior years' EPS of $0.99. This year, the market expects an improvement in earnings ($1.16 versus $0.99).
• Net operating cash flow has significantly decreased to $5.01 million or 88.18% when compared to the same quarter last year. In addition, when comparing to the industry average, the firm's growth rate is much lower.
• The company, on the basis of change in net income from the same quarter one year ago, has significantly underperformed when compared to that of the S&P 500 and the Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry. The net income has significantly decreased by 115.8% when compared to the same quarter one year ago, falling from $9.38 million to -$1.48 million.

Potlatch Corporation operates as a real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns and manages timberlands located in Arkansas, Idaho, Minnesota and Wisconsin in the United States. The company has a P/E ratio of 26.4, below the average real estate industry P/E ratio of 26.6 and above the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. Potlatch has a market cap of $1.35 billion and is part of the financial sector and real estate industry. Shares are down 1.9% year to date as of the close of trading on Wednesday.

You can view the full Potlatch Ratings Report or get investment ideas from our investment research center.

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