Shenandoah Telecommunications – Growth And Income – Zacks Rank Buy | Stock Market News & Stocks to Watch from StraightStocks

Shenandoah Telecommunications – Growth And Income – Zacks Rank Buy

Source: http://www.zacks.com/commentary/9848/Shenandoah+Telecommunications++-+Growth+And+Income+-+Zacks+Rank+Buy
Posted on Sunday, January 25th, 2009 | In Stocks to Watch

Contributed by: Alex Kolb (http://www.zacks.com/) -

Companies highlighted in this weekly wrap include Shenandoah Telecommunications Co. (SHEN), DeVry, Inc. (>DV), Aaron Rents, Inc. (RNT), American Science & Engineering, Inc. (ASEI) and NTELOS Holdings Corp. (NTLS).

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Shenandoah Telecommunications Co. (SHEN) has, for the most part, traded in line with the broader market since it was last covered as Growth and Income pick in mid-January. The company continues to offer solid fundamentals, including an industry leading dividend yield and very little debt.

Strong Fundamentals

Shenandoah’s dividend yield of 1.2% is ahead of the industry average as most of the company’s peers pay no income.

The company has a solid balance sheet, showing a low debt to equity of 8%.

The company’s earnings per share are expected to grow by 14% over the next 3 5 years, compared to the industry average of 10%.

Growth in the Third Quarter

In early November, the company reported third-quarter results, noting that it delivered solid performance despite the economic environment.

Net income from continuing operations totaled $7.4 million, versus the year-prior $6.1 million. Total revenues reached $37.4 million, a 15% increase from last year’s $32.7 million.

Fourth-quarter results are scheduled for release on Feb 23.

Read out Jan 15, 2009 analysis.

Last Week’s Growth and Income Zacks Rank Buy Stocks

DeVry, Inc. (DV) just hit a 52-week high on the heels of increased enrollment and bullish earnings forecasts. The company is scheduled to announce results for the second quarter on Jan 27. Read the full analysis on DV.

Aaron Rents, Inc. (RNT) recently hiked its earnings guidance and analysts followed suit. The company is projecting 2009 earnings to range between $1.70 and $1.85 per share, up from the previous range of $1.65 to $1.80. Analyst forecasts of $1.75 increased from $1.72 over the past month. Read the full analysis on RNT.

American Science & Engineering, Inc. (ASEI) started the year on a strong note, advancing about 6%, while the Dow ($DJI), S&P 500 (SPX) and NASDAQ (COMP) are in the red. The company recently announced a $67.1 million order from the U.S. government for a significant quantity of ZBV Military Trailers (ZBV Mil Trailer). Read the full analysis on ASEI.

NTELOS Holdings Corp. (NTLS) offer a solid track record of exceeding analyst expectations for earnings and a robust dividend yield of 4.4%. Read the full analysis in NTLS.

“SHEN” Free Stock Analysis: Buy? Sell? Hold?
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