Cornerstone Therapeutics Inc. Stock Upgraded (CRTX)

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) -- Cornerstone Therapeutics (Nasdaq:CRTX) has been upgraded by TheStreet Ratings from sell to hold. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, solid stock price performance and increase in net income. However, as a counter to these strengths, we also find weaknesses including disappointing return on equity and feeble growth in the company's earnings per share.

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Highlights from the ratings report include:

• The revenue growth greatly exceeded the industry average of 8.2%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues rose by 49.0%. This growth in revenue appears to have trickled down to the company's bottom line, improving the earnings per share.
• This stock has managed to rise its share value by 18.26% over the past twelve months. Looking ahead, our view is that this company's fundamentals will not have much impact in either direction, allowing the stock to generally move up or down based on the push and pull of the broad market.
• The current debt-to-equity ratio, 0.52, is low and is below the industry average, implying that there has been successful management of debt levels. Although the company had a strong debt-to-equity ratio, its quick ratio of 0.96 is somewhat weak and could be cause for future problems.
• CORNERSTONE THERAPEUTICS INC has shown improvement in its earnings for its most recently reported quarter when compared with the same quarter a year earlier. This company has reported somewhat volatile earnings recently. We feel it is likely to report a decline in earnings in the coming year. During the past fiscal year, CORNERSTONE THERAPEUTICS INC swung to a loss, reporting -$0.03 versus $0.23 in the prior year. For the next year, the market is expecting a contraction of 200.0% in earnings (-$0.09 versus -$0.03).
• Current return on equity is lower than its ROE from the same quarter one year prior. This is a clear sign of weakness within the company. Compared to other companies in the Pharmaceuticals industry and the overall market, CORNERSTONE THERAPEUTICS INC's return on equity significantly trails that of both the industry average and the S&P 500.

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Cornerstone Therapeutics Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company, engages in the acquisition, development, and commercialization of prescription pharmaceutical drugs for the hospital, niche respiratory, and related specialty markets. Cornerstone has a market cap of $177.4 million and is part of the health care sector and drugs industry. Shares are up 41.9% year to date as of the close of trading on Friday.

You can view the full Cornerstone 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 Cornerstone Therapeutics Inc. click any of the following:

• Cornerstone Therapeutics Inc. Stock Price

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• Cornerstone Therapeutics Inc. Key Stats & Profile

• Cornerstone Therapeutics Inc. Earnings

• Cornerstone Therapeutics Inc. Ratio Comparison

• Cornerstone Therapeutics Inc. Growth Rates

• Cornerstone Therapeutics Inc. Balance Sheet

• Cornerstone Therapeutics Inc. Cash Flow

• Cornerstone Therapeutics Inc. Income Statement