New Jersey Resources Corporation Stock Downgraded (NJR)

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) -- New Jersey Resources Corporation (NYSE:NJR) has been downgraded by TheStreet Ratings from buy to hold. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its reasonable valuation levels and largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures. However, as a counter to these strengths, we also find weaknesses including deteriorating net income, weak operating cash flow and disappointing return on equity.

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Highlights from the ratings report include:

• The debt-to-equity ratio is somewhat low, currently at 0.88, and is less than that of the industry average, implying that there has been a relatively successful effort in the management of debt levels. Even though the company has a strong debt-to-equity ratio, the quick ratio of 0.27 is very weak and demonstrates a lack of ability to pay short-term obligations.
• The revenue fell significantly faster than the industry average of 6.9%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues fell by 34.4%. Weakness in the company's revenue seems to have hurt the bottom line, decreasing earnings per share.
• Net operating cash flow has significantly decreased to -$44.71 million or 196.74% 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 significantly underperformed when compared to that of the S&P 500 and the Gas Utilities industry. The net income has significantly decreased by 150.7% when compared to the same quarter one year ago, falling from $20.37 million to -$10.32 million.

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New Jersey Resources Corporation, an energy services holding company, provides retail and wholesale energy services. The company has a P/E ratio of 17.3, below the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. New Jersey has a market cap of $1.62 billion and is part of the utilities sector and utilities industry. Shares are down 20.7% year to date as of the close of trading on Monday.

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

-- Written by a member of TheStreet Ratings Staff

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