Miller Industries Stock Upgraded (MLR)

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Miller Industries (NYSE:MLR) has been upgraded by TheStreet Ratings from hold to buy. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its solid stock price performance, impressive record of earnings per share growth, robust revenue growth, largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures and attractive valuation levels. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company shows low profit margins.

Highlights from the ratings report include:

• MLR's debt-to-equity ratio is very low at 0.00 and is currently below that of the industry average, implying that there has been very successful management of debt levels. To add to this, MLR has a quick ratio of 2.25, which demonstrates the ability of the company to cover short-term liquidity needs.
• MLR's revenue growth trails the industry average of 44.9%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues rose by 18.9%. Growth in the company's revenue appears to have helped boost the earnings per share.
• MILLER INDUSTRIES INC/TN reported significant earnings per share improvement in the most recent quarter compared to the same quarter a year ago. The company has demonstrated a pattern of positive earnings per share growth over the past two years. We feel that this trend should continue. During the past fiscal year, MILLER INDUSTRIES INC/TN increased its bottom line by earning $0.96 versus $0.51 in the prior year. This year, the market expects an improvement in earnings ($1.25 versus $0.96).
• Looking at where the stock is today compared to one year ago, we find that it is not only higher, but it has also clearly outperformed the rise in the S&P 500 over the same period. Although other factors naturally played a role, the company's strong earnings growth was key. Turning our attention to the future direction of the stock, it goes without saying that even the best stocks can fall in an overall down market. However, in any other environment, this stock still has good upside potential despite the fact that it has already risen in the past year.

Miller Industries, Inc. engages in the manufacture and sale of vehicle towing and recovery equipment in North America and internationally. The company has a P/E ratio of 16.4, equal to the average automotive industry P/E ratio and below the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.2. Miller has a market cap of $185.6 million and is part of the consumer goods sector and automotive industry. Shares are up 9.4% year to date as of the close of trading on Friday.

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