Fisher Communications Inc. Stock Upgraded (FSCI)

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Fisher Communications (Nasdaq:FSCI) has been upgraded by TheStreet Ratings from hold to buy. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its solid stock price performance, impressive record of earnings per share growth, compelling growth in net income, revenue growth 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:

• Compared to where it was 12 months ago, this stock has enjoyed a nice rise of 29.03% which was in line with the performance of the S&P 500 Index. Turning to the future, naturally, any stock can fall in a major bear market. However, in almost any other environment, the stock should continue to move higher despite the fact that it has already enjoyed nice gains in the past year.
• FISHER COMMUNICATIONS INC has improved earnings per share by 20.0% 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. During the past fiscal year, FISHER COMMUNICATIONS INC increased its bottom line by earning $4.02 versus $1.08 in the prior year.
• The net income growth from the same quarter one year ago has exceeded that of the S&P 500 and the Media industry average. The net income increased by 18.4% when compared to the same quarter one year prior, going from $3.62 million to $4.28 million.
• Despite its growing revenue, the company underperformed as compared with the industry average of 10.4%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues slightly increased by 4.8%. This growth in revenue appears to have trickled down to the company's bottom line, improving the earnings per share.
• Current return on equity exceeded its ROE from the same quarter one year prior. This is a clear sign of strength within the company. Compared to other companies in the Media industry and the overall market, FISHER COMMUNICATIONS INC's return on equity exceeds that of both the industry average and the S&P 500.

Fisher Communications, Inc., an integrated media company, engages in television and radio broadcasting businesses. The company has a P/E ratio of 8.1, equal to the average media industry P/E ratio and below the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. Fisher has a market cap of $292.9 million and is part of the services sector and media industry. Shares are up 15% year to date as of the close of trading on Monday.

You can view the full Fisher 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 Fisher Communications Inc. click any of the following:

• Fisher Communications Inc. Stock Price

• Fisher Communications Inc. Analyst Ratings

• Fisher Communications Inc. Key Stats & Profile

• Fisher Communications Inc. Earnings

• Fisher Communications Inc. Ratio Comparison

• Fisher Communications Inc. Growth Rates

• Fisher Communications Inc. Balance Sheet

• Fisher Communications Inc. Cash Flow

• Fisher Communications Inc. Income Statement