Abraxas Petroleum Corporation Stock Downgraded (AXAS)

Abraxas Petroleum Corporation (Nasdaq:AXAS) has been downgraded by TheStreet Ratings from from a hold to sell.
By TheStreet Wire ,

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

)

-- Abraxas Petroleum Corporation

(Nasdaq:

AXAS

) has been downgraded by TheStreet Ratings from hold to sell. The company's weaknesses can be seen in multiple areas, such as its deteriorating net income, generally high debt management risk, disappointing return on equity, weak operating cash flow and generally disappointing historical performance in the stock itself.

  • EXCLUSIVE OFFER: Jim Cramer's Protégé, Dave Peltier, only buys Stocks Under $10 that he thinks could potentially double. See what he's trading today with a 14-day FREE pass.

Highlights from the ratings report include:

  • The company, on the basis of change in net income from the same quarter one year ago, has significantly underperformed when compared to that of the S&P 500 and the Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels industry. The net income has significantly decreased by 192.8% when compared to the same quarter one year ago, falling from $20.09 million to -$18.64 million.
  • The debt-to-equity ratio is very high at 2.52 and currently higher than the industry average, implying increased risk associated with the management of debt levels within the company. Along with this, the company manages to maintain a quick ratio of 0.48, which clearly demonstrates the inability to cover short-term cash needs.
  • Return on equity has greatly decreased when compared to its ROE from the same quarter one year prior. This is a signal of major weakness within the corporation. Compared to other companies in the Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels industry and the overall market, ABRAXAS PETROLEUM CORP/NV's return on equity significantly trails that of both the industry average and the S&P 500.
  • Net operating cash flow has significantly decreased to $5.59 million or 66.04% when compared to the same quarter last year. In addition, when comparing to the industry average, the firm's growth rate is much lower.
  • Despite any intermediate fluctuations, we have only bad news to report on this stock's performance over the last year: it has tumbled by 55.62%, worse than the S&P 500's performance. Consistent with the plunge in the stock price, the company's earnings per share are down 195.23% compared to the year-earlier quarter. Turning toward the future, the fact that the stock has come down in price over the past year should not necessarily be interpreted as a negative; it could be one of the factors that may help make the stock attractive down the road. Right now, however, we believe that it is too soon to buy.

.

Abraxas Petroleum Corporation, an independent energy company, engages in the acquisition, exploitation, development, and production of oil and gas in the United States and Canada. The company has a P/E ratio of -14, below the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. Abraxas has a market cap of $181.4 million and is part of the basic materials sector and energy industry. Shares are down 40.6% year to date as of the close of trading on Wednesday.

You can view the full

Abraxas Ratings Report

or get investment ideas from our

investment research center

.

-- Written by a member of TheStreet Ratings Staff

FREE for a limited time only: Get TheStreet Ratings #1 Stock Report NOW!

.

null

Loading ...