4 Stocks Pushing The Diversified Services Industry Higher

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

All three major indices are trading down today with the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) trading down 18 points (-0.1%) at 13,964 as of Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013, 11:49 AM ET. The NYSE advances/declines ratio sits at 1,305 issues advancing vs. 1,524 declining with 153 unchanged.

The Diversified Services industry currently sits up 0.4% versus the S&P 500, which is down 0.1%. Top gainers within the industry include Hertz Global Holdings (HTZ), up 5.1%, Tyco International (TYC), up 0.7% and Visa (V), up 0.7%. A company within the industry that fell today was Fidelity National Information Services (FIS), up 1.4%.

TheStreet Ratings group would like to highlight 4 stocks pushing the industry higher today:

4. Portfolio Recovery Associates (PRAA) is one of the companies pushing the Diversified Services industry higher today. As of noon trading, Portfolio Recovery Associates is up $7.85 (7.0%) to $119.87 on heavy volume Thus far, 73,307 shares of Portfolio Recovery Associates exchanged hands as compared to its average daily volume of 84,300 shares. The stock has ranged in price between $113.10-$120.00 after having opened the day at $113.10 as compared to the previous trading day's close of $112.02.

Portfolio Recovery Associates, Inc., a financial and business service company, engages in the purchase, collection, and management of portfolios of defaulted consumer receivables. Portfolio Recovery Associates has a market cap of $1.9 billion and is part of the services sector. The company has a P/E ratio of 16.1, below the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. Shares are up 3.3% year to date as of the close of trading on Wednesday. Currently there are 4 analysts that rate Portfolio Recovery Associates a buy, no analysts rate it a sell, and 1 rates it a hold.

TheStreet Ratings rates Portfolio Recovery Associates as a buy. 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, impressive record of earnings per share growth, compelling growth in net income and good cash flow from operations. Although no company is perfect, currently we do not see any significant weaknesses which are likely to detract from the generally positive outlook. Get the full Portfolio Recovery Associates Ratings Report now.

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