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NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Big Lots (BIG) - Get Report has been upgraded by TheStreet Ratings from Hold to Buy with a ratings score of B-.  TheStreet Ratings Team has this to say about their recommendation:

TheStreet Ratings team rates BIG LOTS INC as a Buy with a ratings score of B-. TheStreet Ratings Team has this to say about their recommendation:

"We rate BIG LOTS INC (BIG) a BUY. This is driven by some important positives, which we believe should have a greater impact than any weaknesses, and should give investors a better performance opportunity than most stocks we cover. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its solid stock price performance, growth in earnings per share, increase in net income, revenue growth and attractive valuation levels. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company shows weak operating cash flow."

Highlights from the analysis by TheStreet Ratings Team goes as follows:

• Investors have apparently begun to recognize positive factors similar to those we have mentioned in this report, including earnings growth. This has helped drive up the company's shares by a sharp 65.88% over the past year, a rise that has exceeded that of the S&P 500 Index. Regarding the stock's future course, although almost any stock can fall in a broad market decline, BIG should continue to move higher despite the fact that it has already enjoyed a very nice gain in the past year.
• BIG LOTS INC has improved earnings per share by 21.4% 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 year. We feel that this trend should continue. During the past fiscal year, BIG LOTS INC increased its bottom line by earning $2.51 versus $2.44 in the prior year. This year, the market expects an improvement in earnings ($2.90 versus $2.51).
• The net income growth from the same quarter one year ago has exceeded that of the S&P 500 and greatly outperformed compared to the Multiline Retail industry average. The net income increased by 11.9% when compared to the same quarter one year prior, going from $84.35 million to $94.43 million.
• Despite its growing revenue, the company underperformed as compared with the industry average of 3.1%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues slightly increased by 1.4%. Growth in the company's revenue appears to have helped boost the earnings per share.
• You can view the full analysis from the report here: BIG Ratings Report