Critical Review: Superior Industries International (SUP) vs. Cooper-Standard Holdings (CPS)

Superior Industries International (NYSE: SUP) and Cooper-Standard Holdings (NYSE:CPS) are both small-cap auto/tires/trucks companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, earnings, profitability, risk, dividends, institutional ownership and valuation.

Volatility & Risk

Superior Industries International has a beta of 0.66, meaning that its stock price is 34% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Cooper-Standard Holdings has a beta of 0.72, meaning that its stock price is 28% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Superior Industries International and Cooper-Standard Holdings’ revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	EBITDA	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Superior Industries International	$778.75 million	0.46	$76.24 million	$0.25	57.60
Cooper-Standard Holdings	$3.54 billion	0.50	$431.14 million	$7.93	12.59

Cooper-Standard Holdings has higher revenue and earnings than Superior Industries International. Cooper-Standard Holdings is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Superior Industries International, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

82.4% of Superior Industries International shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 95.3% of Cooper-Standard Holdings shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.5% of Superior Industries International shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 3.9% of Cooper-Standard Holdings shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings for Superior Industries International and Cooper-Standard Holdings, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Superior Industries International	0	1	2	0	2.67
Cooper-Standard Holdings	1	1	3	0	2.40

Superior Industries International presently has a consensus target price of $24.67, indicating a potential upside of 71.30%. Cooper-Standard Holdings has a consensus target price of $108.40, indicating a potential upside of 8.60%. Given Superior Industries International’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Superior Industries International is more favorable than Cooper-Standard Holdings.

Dividends

Superior Industries International pays an annual dividend of $0.36 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.5%. Cooper-Standard Holdings does not pay a dividend. Superior Industries International pays out 144.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future.

Profitability

This table compares Superior Industries International and Cooper-Standard Holdings’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Superior Industries International	1.23%	9.54%	5.01%
Cooper-Standard Holdings	4.22%	26.90%	8.12%

Summary

Cooper-Standard Holdings beats Superior Industries International on 12 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

Superior Industries International Company Profile

Superior Industries International, Inc. is engaged in the design and manufacture of aluminum wheels for sale to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). The Company supplies cast aluminum wheels to automobile and light truck manufacturers, with wheel manufacturing operations in the United States and Mexico. The Company offers wheels in a range of finishes, which include Bright Machined, Polished Face with Painted Window, Fully Painted, Premium Paint, Polished, Chrome Clad and Mirror Finish Ultra Bright Machining. The Company’s products, which are manufactured in its North American facilities, are delivered primarily to automotive assembly operations in North America for global OEMs. Its OEM aluminum wheels are primarily sold for factory installation, as either optional or standard equipment, on various vehicle models. As of December 31, 2015, the Company operated five manufacturing facilities in the United States and Mexico.

Cooper-Standard Holdings Company Profile

Cooper-Standard Holdings Inc. is a holding company. The Company designs, manufactures and sells sealing, fuel and brake delivery, fluid transfer and anti-vibration systems for use in passenger vehicles and light trucks manufactured by global original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). The Company operates through four segments: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and South America. The Company’s products are used in passenger vehicles and light trucks. As of December 31, 2016, the Company’s operations were conducted through 123 leased and joint venture facilities in 20 countries (North America: Canada, Mexico and the United States; Asia Pacific: China, India, Japan, South Korea and Thailand; Europe: Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom, and South America: Brazil), of which 90 are manufacturing facilities and 33 have design, engineering, administrative or logistics designations.