Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Is Standard Motor Products (SMP) Stock Undervalued Right Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Here at Zacks, our focus is on the proven Zacks Rank system, which emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find great stocks. Nevertheless, we are always paying attention to the latest value, growth, and momentum trends to underscore strong picks.

Of these, value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. Value investors use tried-and-true metrics and fundamental analysis to find companies that they believe are undervalued at their current share price levels.

Luckily, Zacks has developed its own Style Scores system in an effort to find stocks with specific traits. Value investors will be interested in the system's "Value" category. Stocks with both "A" grades in the Value category and high Zacks Ranks are among the strongest value stocks on the market right now.

One company to watch right now is Standard Motor Products (SMP - Free Report) . SMP is currently holding a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and a Value grade of A. The stock holds a P/E ratio of 9.64, while its industry has an average P/E of 10.53. Over the past year, SMP's Forward P/E has been as high as 10.50 and as low as 5.89, with a median of 8.90.

Investors should also recognize that SMP has a P/B ratio of 1.23. The P/B ratio pits a stock's market value against its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. SMP's current P/B looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/B of 1.71. Within the past 52 weeks, SMP's P/B has been as high as 1.28 and as low as 0.74, with a median of 1.04.

Value investors also use the P/S ratio. The P/S ratio is calculated as price divided by sales. This is a preferred metric because revenue can't really be manipulated, so sales are often a truer performance indicator. SMP has a P/S ratio of 0.43. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 0.98.

These figures are just a handful of the metrics value investors tend to look at, but they help show that Standard Motor Products is likely being undervalued right now. Considering this, as well as the strength of its earnings outlook, SMP feels like a great value stock at the moment.

Zacks' 7 Best Strong Buy Stocks (New Research Report)

Valued at $99, click below to receive our just-released report predicting the 7 stocks that will soar highest in the coming month.

Click Here, It's Really Free

Published in