21Vianet Group Inc Stock Upgraded (VNET)

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) -- 21Vianet Group (Nasdaq:VNET) has been upgraded by TheStreet Ratings from sell to hold. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its robust revenue growth, largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures and notable return on equity. However, as a counter to these strengths, we also find weaknesses including a generally disappointing performance in the stock itself and unimpressive growth in net income.

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Highlights from the ratings report include:

• VNET's very impressive revenue growth exceeded the industry average of 33.1%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues leaped by 53.1%. 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 VNET's debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24 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 1.37, which illustrates the ability to avoid short-term cash problems.
• Compared to other companies in the Internet Software & Services industry and the overall market, 21VIANET GROUP INC's return on equity significantly trails that of both the industry average and the S&P 500.
• 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 Internet Software & Services industry. The net income has significantly decreased by 85.1% when compared to the same quarter one year ago, falling from $12.65 million to $1.89 million.
• The share price of 21VIANET GROUP INC has not done very well: it is down 18.56% and has underperformed the S&P 500, in part reflecting the company's sharply declining earnings per share when compared to the year-earlier quarter. Looking ahead, we do not see anything in this company's numbers that would change the one-year trend. It was down over the last twelve months; and it could be down again in the next twelve. Naturally, a bull or bear market could sway the movement of this stock.

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21Vianet Group, Inc. provides carrier-neutral Internet data center services in the People's Republic of China. The company has a P/E ratio of 161.5, above the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. 21Vianet Group has a market cap of $559.4 million and is part of the technology sector and computer software & services industry. Shares are up 0.8% year to date as of the close of trading on Thursday.

You can view the full 21Vianet Group 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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For more information on 21Vianet Group Inc click any of the following:

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• 21Vianet Group Inc Income Statement