EMC Corporation Stock Buy Recommendation Reiterated (EMC)

Editor's Note: 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.

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- EMC Corporation (NYSE:EMC) has been reiterated by TheStreet Ratings as a buy with a ratings score of A . The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its impressive record of earnings per share growth, revenue growth, good cash flow from operations, expanding profit margins and solid stock price performance. Although no company is perfect, currently we do not see any significant weaknesses which are likely to detract from the generally positive outlook.

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Highlights from the ratings report include:

• EMC CORP/MA has improved earnings per share by 20.8% 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, EMC CORP/MA increased its bottom line by earning $1.10 versus $0.88 in the prior year. This year, the market expects an improvement in earnings ($1.72 versus $1.10).
• EMC's revenue growth trails the industry average of 23.4%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues slightly increased by 9.6%. This growth in revenue appears to have trickled down to the company's bottom line, improving the earnings per share.
• Net operating cash flow has increased to $1,237.03 million or 16.32% when compared to the same quarter last year. The firm also exceeded the industry average cash flow growth rate of -7.27%.
• The gross profit margin for EMC CORP/MA is rather high; currently it is at 69.70%. It has increased from the same quarter the previous year. Despite the strong results of the gross profit margin, EMC's net profit margin of 12.20% significantly trails the industry average.
• Compared to where it was 12 months ago, this stock has enjoyed a nice rise of 26.18% which was in line with the performance of the S&P 500 Index. We feel that the stock's sharp appreciation over the last year has driven it to a price level which is now somewhat expensive compared to the rest of its industry. The other strengths this company shows, however, justify the higher price levels.

EMC Corporation develops, delivers, and supports the information and virtual infrastructure technologies and solutions. The company has a P/E ratio of 22.5, equal to the average computer hardware industry P/E ratio and above the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. EMC has a market cap of $57.02 billion and is part of the technology sector and computer hardware industry. Shares are up 24.2% year to date as of the close of trading on Wednesday.

You can view the full EMC Ratings Report or get investment ideas from our investment research center.

--Written by a member of TheStreet Ratings Staff.

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