Cummins Inc Stock Buy Recommendation Reiterated (CMI)

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) -- Cummins (NYSE:CMI) has been reiterated by TheStreet Ratings as a buy with a ratings score of B+ . The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its solid stock price performance, largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures and notable return on equity. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had sub par growth in net income.

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Highlights from the ratings report include:

• CMI's debt-to-equity ratio is very low at 0.12 and is currently below that of the industry average, implying that there has been very successful management of debt levels. Along with the favorable debt-to-equity ratio, the company maintains an adequate quick ratio of 1.14, which illustrates the ability to avoid short-term cash problems.
• Compared to its closing price of one year ago, CMI's share price has jumped by 25.39%, exceeding the performance of the broader market during that same time frame. Regarding the stock's future course, although almost any stock can fall in a broad market decline, CMI should continue to move higher despite the fact that it has already enjoyed a very nice gain in the past year.
• CMI, with its decline in revenue, slightly underperformed the industry average of 1.0%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues fell by 11.0%. Weakness in the company's revenue seems to have hurt the bottom line, decreasing earnings per share.
• The company's current return on equity has slightly decreased from the same quarter one year prior. This implies a minor weakness in the organization. When compared to other companies in the Machinery industry and the overall market, CUMMINS INC's return on equity exceeds that of the industry average and significantly exceeds that of the S&P 500.
• CUMMINS INC's earnings per share declined by 20.9% 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, CUMMINS INC increased its bottom line by earning $9.56 versus $5.28 in the prior year. For the next year, the market is expecting a contraction of 11.6% in earnings ($8.45 versus $9.56).

Cummins Inc. designs, manufactures, distributes, and services diesel and natural gas engines, and engine-related component products worldwide. It operates in four segments: Engine, Components, Power Generation, and Distribution. Cummins has a market cap of $21.7 billion and is part of the industrial goods sector and industrial industry. The company has a P/E ratio of 11.9, below the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. Shares are up 5.4% year to date as of the close of trading on Friday.

You can view the full Cummins 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 Cummins Inc click any of the following:

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