SINA Corporation Stock Hold Recommendation Reiterated (SINA)

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) -- SINA Corporation (Nasdaq:SINA) has been reiterated by TheStreet Ratings as a hold with a ratings score of C . The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its increase in net income, revenue growth and largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures. However, as a counter to these strengths, we also find weaknesses including disappointing return on equity and a generally disappointing performance in the stock itself.

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Highlights from the ratings report include:

• The net income growth from the same quarter one year ago has significantly exceeded that of the S&P 500 and the Internet Software & Services industry. The net income increased by 233.8% when compared to the same quarter one year prior, rising from $9.96 million to $33.25 million.
• The revenue growth significantly trails the industry average of 48.5%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues rose by 10.6%. Growth in the company's revenue appears to have helped boost the earnings per share.
• SINA CORP reported significant earnings per share improvement in the most recent quarter compared to the same quarter a year ago. This company has reported somewhat volatile earnings recently. But, we feel it is poised for EPS growth in the coming year. During the past fiscal year, SINA CORP reported poor results of -$4.58 versus -$0.39 in the prior year. This year, the market expects an improvement in earnings ($0.10 versus -$4.58).
• SINA's stock share price has done very poorly compared to where it was a year ago: Despite any rallies, the net result is that it is down by 32.23%, which is also worse that the performance of the S&P 500 Index. Investors have so far failed to pay much attention to the earnings improvements the company has managed to achieve over the last 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.
• Return on equity has greatly decreased when compared to its ROE from the same quarter one year prior. This is a signal of major weakness within the corporation. Compared to other companies in the Internet Software & Services industry and the overall market, SINA CORP's return on equity significantly trails that of both the industry average and the S&P 500.

SINA Corporation provides online media and mobile value-added services (MVAS) in the People's Republic of China. It provides advertising, non-advertising, and free services through SINA.com, Weibo.com, and SINA Mobile. SINA has a market cap of $3.89 billion and is part of the technology sector and internet industry. The company has a P/E ratio of -11.2, below the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. Shares are up 12.1% year to date as of the close of trading on Thursday.

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

--Written by a member of TheStreet Ratings Staff.

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