Priceline.com Inc. Stock Buy Recommendation Reiterated (PCLN)

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Priceline.com (Nasdaq:PCLN) has been reiterated 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, solid stock price performance, impressive record of earnings per share growth, compelling growth in net income and notable return on equity. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company shows weak operating cash flow.

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Highlights from the ratings report include:

• PCLN's revenue growth has slightly outpaced the industry average of 22.1%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues rose by 28.2%. Growth in the company's revenue appears to have helped boost the earnings per share.
• Powered by its strong earnings growth of 72.68% and other important driving factors, this stock has surged by 27.32% over the past year, outperforming the rise in the S&P 500 Index during the same period. Regarding the stock's future course, although almost any stock can fall in a broad market decline, PCLN should continue to move higher despite the fact that it has already enjoyed a very nice gain in the past year.
• PRICELINE.COM 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, PRICELINE.COM INC increased its bottom line by earning $20.65 versus $10.39 in the prior year. This year, the market expects an improvement in earnings ($31.60 versus $20.65).
• The net income growth from the same quarter one year ago has significantly exceeded that of the S&P 500 and the Internet & Catalog Retail industry. The net income increased by 73.7% when compared to the same quarter one year prior, rising from $104.79 million to $181.97 million.
• The company's current return on equity greatly increased when compared to its ROE from the same quarter one year prior. This is a signal of significant strength within the corporation. Compared to other companies in the Internet & Catalog Retail industry and the overall market, PRICELINE.COM INC's return on equity significantly exceeds that of both the industry average and the S&P 500.

priceline.com Incorporated, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an online travel company. The company has a P/E ratio of 30.1, equal to the average leisure industry P/E ratioand above the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. Priceline.com has a market cap of $33.11 billion and is part of the services sector and leisure industry. Shares are up 42.2% year to date as of the close of trading on Tuesday.

You can view the full Priceline.com 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 Priceline.com Inc. click any of the following:

• Priceline.com Inc. Stock Price

• Priceline.com Inc. Analyst Ratings

• Priceline.com Inc. Key Stats & Profile

• Priceline.com Inc. Earnings

• Priceline.com Inc. Ratio Comparison

• Priceline.com Inc. Growth Rates

• Priceline.com Inc. Balance Sheet

• Priceline.com Inc. Cash Flow

• Priceline.com Inc. Income Statement