Regency Energy Partners LP Stock Upgraded (RGP)

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Regency Energy Partners (NYSE:RGP) has been upgraded by TheStreet Ratings from hold to buy. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, impressive record of earnings per share growth, compelling growth in net income, largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures and notable return on equity. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had lackluster performance in the stock itself.

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Highlights from the ratings report include:

• RGP's revenue growth has slightly outpaced the industry average of 12.0%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues rose by 12.8%. This growth in revenue appears to have trickled down to the company's bottom line, improving the earnings per share.
• REGENCY ENERGY PARTNERS LP 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 year. We feel that this trend should continue. During the past fiscal year, REGENCY ENERGY PARTNERS LP turned its bottom line around by earning $0.29 versus -$0.17 in the prior year. This year, the market expects an improvement in earnings ($0.38 versus $0.29).
• The net income growth from the same quarter one year ago has significantly exceeded that of the S&P 500 and the Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels industry. The net income increased by 102.5% when compared to the same quarter one year prior, rising from $14.07 million to $28.50 million.
• Despite currently having a low debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, it is higher than that of the industry average, inferring that management of debt levels may need to be evaluated further. Regardless of the somewhat mixed results with the debt-to-equity ratio, the company's quick ratio of 1.02 is sturdy.
• The return on equity has improved slightly when compared to the same quarter one year prior. This can be construed as a modest strength in the organization. Compared to other companies in the Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels industry and the overall market, REGENCY ENERGY PARTNERS LP's return on equity significantly trails that of both the industry average and the S&P 500.

Regency Energy Partners LP engages in gathering, treating, processing, compressing, and transporting natural gas and natural gas liquids (NGLs). The company has a P/E ratio of 16.4, below the average energy industry P/E ratio of 60.9 and below the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. Regency Energy has a market cap of $4.04 billion and is part of the basic materials sector and energy industry. Shares are down 3.6% year to date as of the close of trading on Tuesday.

You can view the full Regency 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.

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