HFF Inc. Stock Downgraded (HF)

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) -- HFF (NYSE:HF) has been downgraded by TheStreet Ratings from buy to hold. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its solid stock price performance and notable return on equity. However, as a counter to these strengths, we also find weaknesses including unimpressive growth in net income, weak operating cash flow and poor profit margins.

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Highlights from the ratings report include:

• Compared to its closing price of one year ago, HF's share price has jumped by 28.00%, exceeding the performance of the broader market during that same time frame. Although HF had significant growth over the past year, our hold rating indicates that we do not recommend additional investment in this stock at the current time.
• The return on equity has improved slightly when compared to the same quarter one year prior. This can be construed as a modest strength in the organization. Compared to other companies in the Capital Markets industry and the overall market, HFF INC's return on equity significantly exceeds that of both the industry average and the S&P 500.
• HF, with its decline in revenue, slightly underperformed the industry average of 7.9%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues slightly dropped by 8.4%. The declining revenue appears to have seeped down to the company's bottom line, decreasing earnings per share.
• Net operating cash flow has decreased to $24.11 million or 29.91% when compared to the same quarter last year. In addition, when comparing to the industry average, the firm's growth rate is much lower.
• The company, on the basis of change in net income from the same quarter one year ago, has underperformed when compared to that of the S&P 500 and greatly underperformed compared to the Capital Markets industry average. The net income has decreased by 15.6% when compared to the same quarter one year ago, dropping from $12.86 million to $10.86 million.

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HFF, Inc. provides commercial real estate and capital markets services to users and providers of capital in the commercial real estate industry in the United States. The company has a P/E ratio of 13.7, equal to the average real estate industry P/E ratio and below the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. HFF has a market cap of $516.3 million and is part of the financial sector and real estate industry. Shares are up 35.3% year to date as of the close of trading on Thursday.

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

-- Written by a member of TheStreet Ratings Staff

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For more information on HFF Inc. click any of the following:

• HFF Inc. Stock Price

• HFF Inc. Analyst Ratings

• HFF Inc. Key Stats & Profile

• HFF Inc. Earnings

• HFF Inc. Ratio Comparison

• HFF Inc. Growth Rates

• HFF Inc. Balance Sheet

• HFF Inc. Cash Flow

• HFF Inc. Income Statement