Standard Motor Products (NYSE:SMP) Stock Passes Above 200 Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

Standard Motor Products, Inc. (NYSE:SMP) shares crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $36.50 and traded as high as $38.97. Standard Motor Products shares last traded at $38.17, with a volume of 631,187 shares.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SMP has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Standard Motor Products in a research note on Monday. Zacks Research upgraded Standard Motor Products from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 13th. Finally, Roth Capital restated a “buy” rating and issued a $49.00 price objective on shares of Standard Motor Products in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Standard Motor Products currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $49.00.

Standard Motor Products Trading Down 1.9%

The firm has a market cap of $839.74 million, a P/E ratio of 27.26 and a beta of 0.72. The company’s 50 day moving average is $38.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $36.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.96 and a quick ratio of 0.77.

Standard Motor Products (NYSE:SMP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The auto parts company reported $1.36 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.14 by $0.22. Standard Motor Products had a return on equity of 13.15% and a net margin of 1.79%.The firm had revenue of $498.84 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $503.33 million. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Standard Motor Products, Inc. will post 3.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Standard Motor Products Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 14th were paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 14th. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.2%. Standard Motor Products’s payout ratio is currently 88.57%.

Insider Transactions at Standard Motor Products

In other news, CEO Eric Sills sold 1,531 shares of Standard Motor Products stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.26, for a total transaction of $58,576.06. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 178,432 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,826,808.32. The trade was a 0.85% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Nathan R. Iles sold 1,356 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.30, for a total transaction of $51,934.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 37,468 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,435,024.40. This trade represents a 3.49% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 15,895 shares of company stock worth $606,215. 5.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Standard Motor Products

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Standard Motor Products by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 24,300 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $992,000 after buying an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its position in Standard Motor Products by 4.6% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 12,446 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $310,000 after acquiring an additional 546 shares during the period. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Standard Motor Products by 2.0% during the second quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 29,815 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $916,000 after acquiring an additional 587 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc raised its stake in Standard Motor Products by 1.2% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 54,801 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $1,683,000 after acquiring an additional 628 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Standard Motor Products by 4,842.1% during the second quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 939 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 920 shares during the period. 81.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Standard Motor Products Company Profile

Standard Motor Products, Inc, headquartered in Long Island City, New York, is a leading manufacturer and distributor of aftermarket and original equipment automotive parts. Since its founding in 1919, the company has focused on engineering, testing, and supplying ignition and temperature management products for passenger cars and light trucks. Its product lineup includes ignition coils, spark plug wires, sensors, switches, heating and air conditioning controls, and related electronic components.

The company operates through two primary segments: Engine Management and Temperature Control.