Directv Stock Buy Recommendation Reiterated (DTV)

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) -- Directv (Nasdaq:DTV) 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, impressive record of earnings per share growth, revenue growth, expanding profit margins and increase in net income. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company shows weak operating cash flow.

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Highlights from the ratings report include:

• Looking at where the stock is today compared to one year ago, we find that it is not only higher, but it has also clearly outperformed the rise in the S&P 500 over the same period. Although other factors naturally played a role, the company's strong earnings growth was key. 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.
• DIRECTV has improved earnings per share by 28.6% 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. We feel that this trend should continue. During the past fiscal year, DIRECTV increased its bottom line by earning $3.48 versus $2.48 in the prior year. This year, the market expects an improvement in earnings ($4.18 versus $3.48).
• Despite its growing revenue, the company underperformed as compared with the industry average of 16.0%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues slightly increased by 8.3%. Growth in the company's revenue appears to have helped boost the earnings per share.
• 46.60% is the gross profit margin for DIRECTV which we consider to be strong. Regardless of DTV's high profit margin, it has managed to decrease from the same period last year. Despite the mixed results of the gross profit margin, the net profit margin of 7.61% trails the industry average.
• The company, on the basis of net income growth from the same quarter one year ago, has significantly underperformed compared to the Media industry average, but is greater than that of the S&P 500. The net income increased by 9.5% when compared to the same quarter one year prior, going from $516.00 million to $565.00 million.

DIRECTV provides digital television entertainment primarily in the United States and Latin America. The company engages in acquiring, promoting, selling, and distributing digital entertainment programming primarily via satellite to residential and commercial subscribers. Directv has a market cap of $32.27 billion and is part of the services sector and media industry. The company has a P/E ratio of 13.1, below the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. Shares are up 6% year to date as of the close of trading on Wednesday.

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

--Written by a member of TheStreet Ratings Staff.

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