American Capital Agency Corp. Stock Hold Recommendation Reiterated (AGNC)

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) -- American Capital Agency (Nasdaq:AGNC) 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 robust revenue growth, attractive valuation levels and expanding profit margins. 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:

• AGNC's very impressive revenue growth greatly exceeded the industry average of 15.9%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues leaped by 98.7%. Growth in the company's revenue appears to have helped boost the earnings per share.
• AMERICAN CAPITAL AGENCY CORP reported significant earnings per share improvement in the most recent quarter compared to the same quarter a year ago. 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, AMERICAN CAPITAL AGENCY CORP reported lower earnings of $4.40 versus $5.22 in the prior year. For the next year, the market is expecting a contraction of 6.8% in earnings ($4.10 versus $4.40).
• 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. Compared to other companies in the Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry and the overall market on the basis of return on equity, AMERICAN CAPITAL AGENCY CORP has outperformed in comparison with the industry average, but has underperformed when compared to that of the S&P 500.

American Capital Agency Corp. operates as a real estate investment trust (REIT). American Capital Agency has a market cap of $11.2 billion and is part of the financial sector and real estate industry. The company has a P/E ratio of 7.9, below the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. Shares are up 13.4% year to date as of the close of trading on Thursday.

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

--Written by a member of TheStreet Ratings Staff.

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