PPG Industries Inc. Stock Buy Recommendation Reiterated (PPG)

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) -- PPG Industries (NYSE:PPG) 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 solid stock price performance, growth in earnings per share, increase in net income and expanding profit margins. Although no company is perfect, currently we do not see any significant weaknesses which are likely to detract from the generally positive outlook.

• ACTIVE STOCK TRADERS: Get trading ideas for stocks under $10 for less than $6/week. Start with a 14-Day Free Trial.

Highlights from the ratings report include:

• Investors have apparently begun to recognize positive factors similar to those we have mentioned in this report, including earnings growth. This has helped drive up the company's shares by a sharp 40.57% over the past year, a rise that has exceeded that of the S&P 500 Index. Regarding the stock's future course, although almost any stock can fall in a broad market decline, PPG should continue to move higher despite the fact that it has already enjoyed a very nice gain in the past year.
• PPG INDUSTRIES INC has improved earnings per share by 11.2% 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, PPG INDUSTRIES INC increased its bottom line by earning $6.87 versus $4.63 in the prior year. This year, the market expects an improvement in earnings ($7.99 versus $6.87).
• The net income growth from the same quarter one year ago has exceeded that of the S&P 500 and greatly outperformed compared to the Chemicals industry average. The net income increased by 9.0% when compared to the same quarter one year prior, going from $311.00 million to $339.00 million.
• 40.50% is the gross profit margin for PPG INDUSTRIES INC which we consider to be strong. It has increased from the same quarter the previous year. Along with this, the net profit margin of 8.80% is above that of the industry average.
• Regardless of the drop in revenue, the company managed to outperform against the industry average of 5.7%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues slightly dropped by 0.1%. The declining revenue has not hurt the company's bottom line, with increasing earnings per share.

PPG Industries, Inc. manufactures and supplies protective and decorative coatings. PPG has a market cap of $17.73 billion and is part of the basic materials sector and chemicals industry. The company has a P/E ratio of 19.4, above the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. Shares are up 39.1% year to date as of the close of trading on Tuesday.

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

--Written by a member of TheStreet Ratings Staff.

FREE from Real Money's Jim Cramer: Winners and Losers Election 2012 - Steps to take NOW so you can profit no matter who is in charge! Free Download Now

 

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

• PPG Industries Inc. Stock Price

• PPG Industries Inc. Analyst Ratings

• PPG Industries Inc. Key Stats & Profile

• PPG Industries Inc. Earnings

• PPG Industries Inc. Ratio Comparison

• PPG Industries Inc. Growth Rates

• PPG Industries Inc. Balance Sheet

• PPG Industries Inc. Cash Flow

• PPG Industries Inc. Income Statement