Ericsson Telephone Company Stock Upgraded (ERIC)

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) -- Ericsson Telephone Company (Nasdaq:ERIC) has been upgraded by TheStreet Ratings from hold to buy. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures, reasonable valuation levels, good cash flow from operations and increase in stock price during the past year. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had sub par growth in net income.

• EXCLUSIVE OFFER: Jim Cramer's Protégé, Dave Peltier, only buys Stocks Under $10 that he thinks could potentially double. See what he's trading today with a 14-day FREE pass.

Highlights from the ratings report include:

• The revenue growth greatly exceeded the industry average of 2.2%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues rose by 33.2%. This growth in revenue does not appear to have trickled down to the company's bottom line, displayed by a decline in earnings per share.
• Although ERIC's debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21 is very low, it is currently higher than that of the industry average. Along with the favorable debt-to-equity ratio, the company maintains an adequate quick ratio of 1.46, which illustrates the ability to avoid short-term cash problems.
• Net operating cash flow has significantly increased by 413.34% to $1,057.32 million when compared to the same quarter last year. In addition, ERICSSON has also vastly surpassed the industry average cash flow growth rate of -16.86%.
• Compared to where it was 12 months ago, the stock is up, but it has so far lagged the appreciation in the S&P 500. Turning our attention to the future direction of the stock, it goes without saying that even the best stocks can fall in an overall down market. However, in any other environment, this stock still has good upside potential despite the fact that it has already risen in the past year.

.

Ericsson provides communications equipment, professional services, and multimedia solutions to mobile and fixed networks operators worldwide. The company has a P/E ratio of 15.8, below the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. Ericsson Telephone has a market cap of $34.9 billion and is part of the technology sector and telecommunications industry. Shares are up 4.6% year to date as of the close of trading on Tuesday.

You can view the full Ericsson Telephone 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.

It's Official: Action Alerts PLUS beats the S&P 500 with Dividends Reinvested! Cramer and Link were up 16.72% in 2012. Were you? See what they are trading for 14-days FREE.

 

For more information on LM Ericsson Telephone Company click any of the following:

• LM Ericsson Telephone Company Stock Price

• LM Ericsson Telephone Company Analyst Ratings

• LM Ericsson Telephone Company Key Stats & Profile

• LM Ericsson Telephone Company Earnings

• LM Ericsson Telephone Company Ratio Comparison

• LM Ericsson Telephone Company Growth Rates

• LM Ericsson Telephone Company Balance Sheet

• LM Ericsson Telephone Company Cash Flow

• LM Ericsson Telephone Company Income Statement