NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Shares of J.C. Penney Co. Inc. are down by 2.55% to $9.16 in late morning trading on Tuesday. Reports say that the retailer accidentally e-mailed sales data to a securities analyst, giving an early glance at its first quarter sales. The mistake forced the department-store chain to share the data with investors under Regulation FD rules forbidding selective disclosure, Bloomberg reports, adding that to date J.C. Penney's same-store-sales are up almost 6% for the period, aided by an early Easter. J.C. Penney's first quarter will run through the end of April. Once the holiday benefits fade the company said its full quarter growth will likely be between 3.5% and 4.5%, exceeding the 3.1% the company guided for earlier, Bloomberg noted. Additionally, speaking on CNBC's "Squawk on the Street" TheStreet's Jim Cramer said he feels J.C. Penney's same-store-sales number is good, but not as good as he would have expected. "I remain flummoxed by any retail sales numbers that isn't terrific because we've seen so many terrific company numbers," Cramer said. Separately, TheStreet Ratings team rates PENNEY (J C) CO as a Sell with a ratings score of D. TheStreet Ratings Team has this to say about their recommendation: "We rate PENNEY (J C) CO (JCP) a SELL. This is driven by some concerns, which we believe should have a greater impact than any strengths, and could make it more difficult for investors to achieve positive results compared to most of the stocks we cover. The company's weaknesses can be seen in multiple areas, such as its unimpressive growth in net income, generally high debt management risk and poor profit margins." Highlights from the analysis by TheStreet Ratings Team goes as follows: The company, on the basis of change in net income from the same quarter one year ago, has significantly underperformed against the S&P 500 and did not exceed that of the Multiline Retail industry. The net income has significantly decreased by 268.6% when compared to the same quarter one year ago, falling from $35.00 million to -$59.00 million. The debt-to-equity ratio is very high at 2.83 and currently higher than the industry average, implying increased risk associated with the management of debt levels within the company. To add to this, JCP has a quick ratio of 0.59, this demonstrates the lack of ability of the company to cover short-term liquidity needs. The gross profit margin for PENNEY (J C) CO is currently lower than what is desirable, coming in at 33.75%. Regardless of JCP's low profit margin, it has managed to increase from the same period last year. The return on equity has improved slightly when compared to the same quarter one year prior. This can be construed as a modest strength in the organization. Compared to other companies in the Multiline Retail industry and the overall market, PENNEY (J C) CO's return on equity significantly trails that of both the industry average and the S&P 500. In its most recent trading session, JCP has closed at a price level that was not very different from its closing price of one year earlier. This is probably due to its weak earnings growth as well as other mixed factors. Turning our attention to the future direction of the stock, we do not believe this stock offers ample reward opportunity to compensate for the risks, despite the fact that it rose over the past year. You can view the full analysis from the report here: JCP Ratings Report Must Read: Warren Buffett's Top 25 Stocks for 2015
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