Editor's Note: Any reference to TheStreet Ratings and its underlying recommendation does not reflect the opinion of TheStreet, Inc. or any of its contributors including Jim Cramer or Stephanie Link. NEW YORK ( TheStreet) -- Companhia Brasileira De Distribuicao (NYSE: CBD) has been downgraded by TheStreet Ratings from buy to hold. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, growth in earnings per share and increase in net income. However, as a counter to these strengths, we also find weaknesses including a generally disappointing performance in the stock itself, generally higher debt management risk and disappointing return on equity.
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- The revenue growth came in higher than the industry average of 6.4%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues slightly increased by 6.7%. Growth in the company's revenue appears to have helped boost the earnings per share.
- CIA BRASILEIRA DE DISTRIB 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. We feel that this trend should continue. This trend suggests that the performance of the business is improving. During the past fiscal year, CIA BRASILEIRA DE DISTRIB increased its bottom line by earning $2.01 versus $1.54 in the prior year. This year, the market expects an improvement in earnings ($2.25 versus $2.01).
- The debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05 is relatively high when compared with the industry average, suggesting a need for better debt level management. To add to this, CBD has a quick ratio of 0.53, this demonstrates the lack of ability of the company to cover short-term liquidity needs.
- 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. When compared to other companies in the Food & Staples Retailing industry and the overall market, CIA BRASILEIRA DE DISTRIB's return on equity is below that of both the industry average and the S&P 500.
