Critical Analysis: Commercial Vehicle Group (NASDAQ:CVGI) & Standard Motor Products (SMP)

Commercial Vehicle Group (NASDAQ: CVGI) and Standard Motor Products (NYSE:SMP) are both small-cap auto/tires/trucks companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, profitabiliy, dividends, analyst recommendations, earnings, institutional ownership and risk.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Commercial Vehicle Group and Standard Motor Products’ gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	EBITDA	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Commercial Vehicle Group	$655.24 million	0.41	$41.64 million	$0.16	54.94
Standard Motor Products	$1.10 billion	1.10	$149.40 million	$2.76	19.13

Standard Motor Products has higher revenue and earnings than Commercial Vehicle Group. Standard Motor Products is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Commercial Vehicle Group, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent ratings and recommmendations for Commercial Vehicle Group and Standard Motor Products, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Commercial Vehicle Group	0	0	1	0	3.00
Standard Motor Products	0	0	1	0	3.00

Commercial Vehicle Group currently has a consensus target price of $8.50, suggesting a potential downside of 3.30%. Standard Motor Products has a consensus target price of $52.00, suggesting a potential downside of 1.50%. Given Standard Motor Products’ higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Standard Motor Products is more favorable than Commercial Vehicle Group.

Dividends

Standard Motor Products pays an annual dividend of $0.76 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.4%. Commercial Vehicle Group does not pay a dividend. Standard Motor Products pays out 27.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Standard Motor Products has raised its dividend for 6 consecutive years.

Volatility and Risk

Commercial Vehicle Group has a beta of 0.65, meaning that its stock price is 35% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Standard Motor Products has a beta of 1.83, meaning that its stock price is 83% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

62.5% of Commercial Vehicle Group shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 77.4% of Standard Motor Products shares are owned by institutional investors. 3.0% of Commercial Vehicle Group shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 6.6% of Standard Motor Products shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Commercial Vehicle Group and Standard Motor Products’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Commercial Vehicle Group	0.74%	11.58%	1.88%
Standard Motor Products	5.80%	15.57%	8.55%

Summary

Standard Motor Products beats Commercial Vehicle Group on 13 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Commercial Vehicle Group

Commercial Vehicle Group, Inc. is a supplier of a range of cab-related products and systems. The Company operates through two segments: the Global Truck and Bus Segment (GTB Segment) and the Global Construction and Agriculture Segment (GCA Segment). The GTB Segment manufactures and sells products, which include Seats, Trim, sleeper boxes, cab structures, structural components and body panels, and mirrors and wiper systems. The GCA Segment manufactures and sells the products, which include Electronic wire harness assemblies and Seats, Wiper systems, Office seating, and Aftermarket seats and components. It supplies products for the commercial vehicle market, including the medium-and heavy-duty truck market, the medium-and heavy-construction vehicle market, and the military, bus, agriculture, mining, industrial equipment and off-road recreational markets. It has manufacturing operations in the United States, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Czech Republic, Ukraine, China, India and Australia.

About Standard Motor Products

Standard Motor Products, Inc. is an independent manufacturer and distributor of replacement parts for motor vehicles in the automotive aftermarket industry with a complementary focus on heavy duty, industrial equipment and the original equipment service market. The Company’s segments include Engine Management Segment and Temperature Control Segment. The Engine Management Segment manufactures and remanufactures ignition and emission parts, ignition wires, battery cables, fuel system parts and sensors for vehicle systems. The Temperature Control Segment manufactures and remanufactures air conditioning compressors, air conditioning and heating parts, engine cooling system parts, power window accessories and windshield washer system parts. The Company sells its products primarily to warehouse distributors, large retail chains, original equipment manufacturers and original equipment service part operations in the United States, Canada, Latin America and Europe.