Lexmark International Inc. Stock Downgraded (LXK)

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Lexmark International (NYSE:LXK) has been downgraded by TheStreet Ratings from buy to hold. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its attractive valuation levels, expanding profit margins and good cash flow from operations. However, as a counter to these strengths, we also find weaknesses including deteriorating net income, disappointing return on equity and a generally disappointing performance in the stock itself.

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Highlights from the ratings report include:

• 45.60% is the gross profit margin for LEXMARK INTL INC which we consider to be strong. It has increased from the same quarter the previous year. Despite the strong results of the gross profit margin, LXK's net profit margin of 6.10% significantly trails the industry average.
• Net operating cash flow has slightly increased to $92.10 million or 8.09% when compared to the same quarter last year. Despite an increase in cash flow of 8.09%, LEXMARK INTL INC is still growing at a significantly lower rate than the industry average of 126.05%.
• Looking at the price performance of LXK's shares over the past 12 months, there is not much good news to report: the stock is down 30.44%, and it has underformed the S&P 500 Index. In addition, the company's earnings per share are lower today than the year-earlier quarter. Naturally, the overall market trend is bound to be a significant factor. However, in one sense, the stock's sharp decline last year is a positive for future investors, making it cheaper (in proportion to its earnings over the past year) than most other stocks in its industry. But due to other concerns, we feel the stock is still not a good buy right now.
• 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 Computers & Peripherals industry. The net income has significantly decreased by 27.0% when compared to the same quarter one year ago, falling from $83.30 million to $60.80 million.

Lexmark International, Inc. develops, manufactures, and supplies printing and imaging solutions for offices. It offers laser printers, inkjet printers, and multifunction devices, as well as cartridges and other supplies, services, and solutions. The company has a P/E ratio of 5.2, equal to the average computer hardware industry P/E ratio and below the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. Lexmark International has a market cap of $1.45 billion and is part of the technology sector and computer hardware industry. Shares are down 38.9% year to date as of the close of trading on Tuesday.

You can view the full Lexmark International 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 Lexmark International Inc. click any of the following:

• Lexmark International Inc. Stock Price

• Lexmark International Inc. Analyst Ratings

• Lexmark International Inc. Key Stats & Profile

• Lexmark International Inc. Earnings

• Lexmark International Inc. Ratio Comparison

• Lexmark International Inc. Growth Rates

• Lexmark International Inc. Balance Sheet

• Lexmark International Inc. Cash Flow

• Lexmark International Inc. Income Statement