Furiex Pharmaceuticals Inc. Stock Upgraded (FURX)

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) -- Furiex Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq:FURX) has been upgraded by TheStreet Ratings from sell to hold. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its robust revenue growth, increase in stock price during the past year and compelling growth in net income. However, as a counter to these strengths, we also find weaknesses including disappointing return on equity and feeble growth in the company's earnings per share.

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Highlights from the ratings report include:

• FURX's very impressive revenue growth greatly exceeded the industry average of 1.7%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues leaped by 1124.6%. Growth in the company's revenue appears to have helped boost the earnings per share.
• Compared to where it was a year ago today, the stock is now trading at a higher level, reflecting both the market's overall trend during that period and the fact that the company's earnings growth has been robust. Despite the fact that it has already risen in the past year, there is currently no conclusive evidence that warrants the purchase or sale of this stock.
• FURX's debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88 is somewhat low overall, but it is high when compared to the industry average, implying that the management of the debt levels should be evaluated further. Even though the debt-to-equity ratio shows mixed results, the company's quick ratio of 2.51 is very high and demonstrates very strong liquidity.
• FURIEX PHARMACEUTICALS INC 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. We feel it is likely to report a decline in earnings in the coming year. During the past fiscal year, FURIEX PHARMACEUTICALS INC reported poor results of -$4.96 versus -$4.14 in the prior year. For the next year, the market is expecting a contraction of 2.6% in earnings (-$5.09 versus -$4.96).
• 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 Life Sciences Tools & Services industry and the overall market, FURIEX PHARMACEUTICALS INC's return on equity significantly trails that of both the industry average and the S&P 500.

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Furiex Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a drug development collaboration company, engages in the compound partnering business in the United States and Europe. It collaborates with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to increase the value of their early stage drug candidates. The company has a P/E ratio of -4.7, below the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. Furiex has a market cap of $191.9 million and is part of the services sector and diversified services industry. Shares are up 15.2% year to date as of the close of trading on Monday.

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

-- Written by a member of TheStreet Ratings Staff

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.

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• Furiex Pharmaceuticals Inc. Growth Rates

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• Furiex Pharmaceuticals Inc. Income Statement