United Community Financial Corporation Stock Downgraded (UCFC)

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) -- United Community Financial Corporation (Nasdaq:UCFC) has been downgraded by TheStreet Ratings from hold to sell. The company's weaknesses can be seen in multiple areas, such as its unimpressive growth in net income and weak operating cash flow.

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Highlights from the ratings report include:

• 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 Thrifts & Mortgage Finance industry. The net income has significantly decreased by 203.4% when compared to the same quarter one year ago, falling from -$8.86 million to -$26.89 million.
• Net operating cash flow has significantly decreased to $7.62 million or 92.10% 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 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 Thrifts & Mortgage Finance industry and the overall market, UNITED COMMUNITY FINL CORP's return on equity significantly trails that of both the industry average and the S&P 500.
• UCFC, with its decline in revenue, underperformed when compared the industry average of 7.1%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues fell by 13.1%. Weakness in the company's revenue seems to have hurt the bottom line, decreasing earnings per share.
• UNITED COMMUNITY FINL CORP has exprienced a steep decline in earnings per share in the most recent quarter in comparison to its performance from the same quarter a year ago. This company has not demonstrated a clear trend in earnings over the past two years, making it difficult to accurately predict earnings for the coming year. During the past fiscal year, UNITED COMMUNITY FINL CORP turned its bottom line around by earning $0.00 versus -$1.21 in the prior year.

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United Community Financial Corp. operates as the holding company for The Home Savings and Loan Company of Youngstown, Ohio that provides consumer and business banking service in Ohio and western Pennsylvania. United Community Financial has a market cap of $98 million and is part of the financial sector and banking industry. Shares are up 134.6% year to date as of the close of trading on Friday.

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

-- Written by a member of TheStreet Ratings Staff

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