Power Integrations Inc. Stock Downgraded (POWI)

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Power Integrations (Nasdaq:POWI) has been downgraded by TheStreet Ratings from buy to hold. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures, expanding profit margins and solid stock price performance. However, as a counter to these strengths, we also find weaknesses including deteriorating net income, disappointing return on equity and weak operating cash flow.

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Highlights from the ratings report include:

• POWI 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, POWI has a quick ratio of 1.86, which demonstrates the ability of the company to cover short-term liquidity needs.
• The gross profit margin for POWER INTEGRATIONS INC is rather high; currently it is at 55.20%. It has increased from the same quarter the previous year. Regardless of the strong results of the gross profit margin, the net profit margin of -9.40% is in-line with the industry average.
• POWI, with its decline in revenue, underperformed when compared the industry average of 14.9%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues slightly dropped by 4.7%. Weakness in the company's revenue seems to have hurt the bottom line, decreasing earnings per share.
• Current return on equity is lower than its ROE from the same quarter one year prior. This is a clear sign of weakness within the company. Compared to other companies in the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry and the overall market, POWER INTEGRATIONS INC's return on equity significantly trails that of both the industry average and the S&P 500.
• Net operating cash flow has decreased to $27.74 million or 20.65% when compared to the same quarter last year. In addition, when comparing the cash generation rate to the industry average, the firm's growth is significantly lower.

Power Integrations, Inc. designs, develops, manufactures, and markets proprietary, high-voltage, analog, and mixed-signal integrated circuits (ICs) in the United States and internationally. The company has a P/E ratio of 34.4, equal to the average electronics industry P/E ratio and above the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. Power Integrations has a market cap of $1.04 billion and is part of the technology sector and electronics industry. Shares are up 12.5% year to date as of the close of trading on Tuesday.

You can view the full Power Integrations 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 Power Integrations Inc. click any of the following:

• Power Integrations Inc. Stock Price

• Power Integrations Inc. Analyst Ratings

• Power Integrations Inc. Key Stats & Profile

• Power Integrations Inc. Earnings

• Power Integrations Inc. Ratio Comparison

• Power Integrations Inc. Growth Rates

• Power Integrations Inc. Balance Sheet

• Power Integrations Inc. Cash Flow

• Power Integrations Inc. Income Statement