Semgroup Corp Stock Upgraded (SEMG)

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) -- Semgroup (NYSE:SEMG) has been upgraded by TheStreet Ratings from hold to buy. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its compelling growth in net income, largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures, solid stock price performance, impressive record of earnings per share growth and notable return on equity. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company shows low profit margins.

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Highlights from the ratings report include:

• The net income growth from the same quarter one year ago has significantly exceeded that of the S&P 500 and the Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels industry. The net income increased by 6816.1% when compared to the same quarter one year prior, rising from $0.31 million to $21.09 million.
• SEMG's debt-to-equity ratio is very low at 0.20 and is currently below that of the industry average, implying that there has been very successful management of debt levels.
• Powered by its strong earnings growth of 90.90% and other important driving factors, this stock has surged by 63.90% over the past year, outperforming the rise in the S&P 500 Index during the same period. We feel that the stock's sharp appreciation over the last year has driven it to a price level which is now somewhat expensive compared to the rest of its industry. The other strengths this company shows, however, justify the higher price levels.
• SEMGROUP CORP reported significant earnings per share improvement 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. However, we anticipate underperformance relative to this pattern in the coming year. During the past fiscal year, SEMGROUP CORP increased its bottom line by earning $0.45 versus $0.29 in the prior year. For the next year, the market is expecting a contraction of 31.1% in earnings ($0.31 versus $0.45).
• SEMG, with its decline in revenue, slightly underperformed the industry average of 3.5%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues slightly dropped by 4.3%. The declining revenue has not hurt the company's bottom line, with increasing earnings per share.

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SemGroup Corporation, through its subsidiaries, engages in moving energy products from wellheads to the wholesale marketplace through a network of pipelines, terminals, and storage tanks in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. The company has a P/E ratio of 416.7, above the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. Semgroup has a market cap of $1.92 billion and is part of the basic materials sector and energy industry. Shares are up 17.3% year to date as of the close of trading on Friday.

You can view the full Semgroup 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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