Gran Tierra Energy Inc. Stock Downgraded (GTE)

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Gran Tierra Energy (AMEX:GTE) has been downgraded by TheStreet Ratings from buy to hold. 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 and good cash flow from operations. However, as a counter to these strengths, we also find weaknesses including a generally disappointing performance in the stock itself and unimpressive growth in net income.

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Highlights from the ratings report include:

• The revenue growth came in higher than the industry average of 11.9%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues rose by 26.9%. This growth in revenue does not appear to have trickled down to the company's bottom line, displayed by a decline in earnings per share.
• GTE has no debt to speak of therefore resulting in a debt-to-equity ratio of zero, which we consider to be a relatively favorable sign. To add to this, GTE has a quick ratio of 1.60, which demonstrates the ability of the company to cover short-term liquidity needs.
• The gross profit margin for GRAN TIERRA ENERGY INC is currently very high, coming in at 71.20%. It has increased significantly from the same period last year. Regardless of the strong results of the gross profit margin, the net profit margin of -0.20% trails the industry average.
• 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 Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels industry. The net income has significantly decreased by 102.3% when compared to the same quarter one year ago, falling from $13.71 million to -$0.31 million.
• Despite any intermediate fluctuations, we have only bad news to report on this stock's performance over the last year: it has tumbled by 28.62%, worse than the S&P 500's performance. Consistent with the plunge in the stock price, the company's earnings per share are down 100.00% compared to the year-earlier quarter. Although its share price is down sharply from a year ago, do not assume that it can now be tagged as cheap and attractive. The reality is that, based on its current price in relation to its earnings, GTE is still more expensive than most of the other companies in its industry.

Gran Tierra Energy Inc., an independent energy company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of oil and gas properties in Colombia, Argentina, Peru, and Brazil. The company has a P/E ratio of 11.3, below the average energy industry P/E ratio of 11.8 and below the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. Gran Tierra Energy has a market cap of $1.23 billion and is part of the basic materials sector and energy industry. Shares are down 3.3% year to date as of the close of trading on Tuesday.

You can view the full Gran Tierra Energy 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 Gran Tierra Energy Inc. click any of the following:

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