VMWare Inc. Stock Buy Recommendation Reiterated (VMW)

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- VMWare (NYSE:VMW) has been reitereated by TheStreet Ratings as a buy with a ratings score of B. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its robust revenue growth, largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures, impressive record of earnings per share growth, compelling growth in net income and good cash flow from operations. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company is trading at a premium valuation based on our review of its current price compared to such things as earnings and book value.

Highlights from the ratings report include:

• The revenue growth came in higher than the industry average of 9.4%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues rose by 25.1%. Growth in the company's revenue appears to have helped boost the earnings per share.
• VMW's debt-to-equity ratio is very low at 0.09 and is currently below that of the industry average, implying that there has been very successful management of debt levels. Along with this, the company maintains a quick ratio of 2.52, which clearly demonstrates the ability to cover short-term cash needs.
• VMWARE INC reported significant earnings per share improvement in the most recent quarter compared to the same quarter a year ago. The company has demonstrated a pattern of positive earnings per share growth over the past two years. We feel that this trend should continue. During the past fiscal year, VMWARE INC increased its bottom line by earning $1.67 versus $0.85 in the prior year. This year, the market expects an improvement in earnings ($2.70 versus $1.67).
• The net income growth from the same quarter one year ago has significantly exceeded that of the S&P 500 and the Software industry. The net income increased by 52.2% when compared to the same quarter one year prior, rising from $125.81 million to $191.44 million.
• Net operating cash flow has increased to $576.60 million or 20.64% when compared to the same quarter last year. In addition, VMWARE INC has also modestly surpassed the industry average cash flow growth rate of 19.60%.

VMware, Inc. provides virtualization and virtualization-based cloud infrastructure solutions in the United States and internationally. The company has a P/E ratio of 51.3, equal to the average computer software & services industry P/E ratioand above the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. VMWare has a market cap of $11.95 billion and is part of the technology sector and computer software & services industry. Shares are up 9% year to date as of the close of trading on Thursday.

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

--Written by a member of TheStreet Ratings Staff.

TheStreet ratings do not represent the views of TheStreet's staff or its contributors. Ratings are established by computer based on metrics for performance (which includes growth, stock performance, efficiency and valuation) and risk (volatility and solvency). Companies with poor cash flow or high debt levels tend to earn lower ratings in our model.

 

For more information on VMware Inc. click any of the following:

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• VMware Inc. Growth Rates

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• VMware Inc. Income Statement