Nabors Industries Ltd Stock Hold Recommendation Reiterated (NBR)

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) -- Nabors Industries (NYSE:NBR) has been reiterated by TheStreet Ratings as a hold with a ratings score of C . The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, increase in net income and good cash flow from operations. However, as a counter to these strengths, we also find weaknesses including a generally disappointing performance in the stock itself and disappointing return on equity.

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Highlights from the ratings report include:

• NBR's revenue growth has slightly outpaced the industry average of 4.1%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues slightly increased by 9.8%. 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.
• The net income growth from the same quarter one year ago has exceeded that of the S&P 500 and the Energy Equipment & Services industry average. The net income increased by 1.9% when compared to the same quarter one year prior, going from $75.01 million to $76.41 million.
• NBR's debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79 is somewhat low overall, but it is high when compared to the industry average, implying that the management of the debt levels should be evaluated further. Despite the fact that NBR's debt-to-equity ratio is mixed in its results, the company's quick ratio of 1.89 is high and demonstrates strong liquidity.
• The share price of NABORS INDUSTRIES LTD has not done very well: it is down 16.33% 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, other than the push or pull of the broad market, we do not see anything in the company's numbers that may help reverse the decline experienced over the past 12 months. Despite the past decline, the stock is still selling for more than most others in its industry.
• 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. In comparison to the other companies in the Energy Equipment & Services industry and the overall market, NABORS INDUSTRIES LTD's return on equity is significantly below that of the industry average and is below that of the S&P 500.

Nabors Industries Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a land drilling contractor worldwide. Nabors has a market cap of $4.79 billion and is part of the basic materials sector and energy industry. The company has a P/E ratio of 23.9, above the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. Shares are up 14.3% year to date as of the close of trading on Friday.

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

--Written by a member of TheStreet Ratings Staff.

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