Orbital Sciences Corporation Stock Upgraded (ORB)

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) -- Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE:ORB) 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, attractive valuation levels, increase in net income and growth in earnings per share. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had somewhat disappointing return on equity.

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Highlights from the ratings report include:

• ORB's revenue growth has slightly outpaced the industry average of 5.3%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues slightly increased by 9.0%. This growth in revenue appears to have trickled down to the company's bottom line, improving the earnings per share.
• ORB's debt-to-equity ratio is very low at 0.19 and is currently below that of the industry average, implying that there has been very successful management of debt levels. To add to this, ORB has a quick ratio of 2.09, which demonstrates the ability of the company to cover short-term liquidity needs.
• The company, on the basis of net income growth from the same quarter one year ago, has significantly outperformed against the S&P 500 and exceeded that of the Aerospace & Defense industry average. The net income increased by 18.1% when compared to the same quarter one year prior, going from $16.47 million to $19.45 million.
• ORBITAL SCIENCES CORP has improved earnings per share by 17.9% in the most recent quarter compared to the same quarter a year ago. The company has demonstrated a pattern of positive earnings per share growth over the past two years. However, we anticipate underperformance relative to this pattern in the coming year. During the past fiscal year, ORBITAL SCIENCES CORP increased its bottom line by earning $1.14 versus $0.81 in the prior year. For the next year, the market is expecting a contraction of 11.4% in earnings ($1.01 versus $1.14).

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Orbital Sciences Corporation develops and manufactures small and medium-class rockets and space systems for commercial, military, and civil government customers. The company operates in three segments: Launch Vehicles, Satellites and Space Systems, and Advanced Space Programs. The company has a P/E ratio of 13.8, below the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. Orbital Sciences has a market cap of $885.9 million and is part of the industrial goods sector and aerospace/defense industry. Shares are up 8.1% year to date as of the close of trading on Monday.

You can view the full Orbital Sciences 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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