Standard Motor Products (NYSE:SMP) Stock Passes Above 200-Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Standard Motor Products, Inc. (NYSE:SMP)’s stock price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $37.71 and traded as high as $39.10. Standard Motor Products shares last traded at $38.4460, with a volume of 94,263 shares changing hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on SMP. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Standard Motor Products in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Roth Capital reissued a “buy” rating and set a $49.00 price objective on shares of Standard Motor Products in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Standard Motor Products from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $49.00.

Standard Motor Products Trading Down 1.8%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $845.81 million, a PE ratio of 27.46 and a beta of 0.76. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $37.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $37.71.

Standard Motor Products (NYSE:SMP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 31st. The auto parts company reported $1.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.22. The firm had revenue of $498.84 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $503.33 million. Standard Motor Products had a net margin of 1.79% and a return on equity of 13.15%. 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 business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 14th were given a $0.31 dividend. 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 dividend payout ratio is presently 88.57%.

Insider Transactions at Standard Motor Products

In other news, EVP Dale Burks sold 1,180 shares of Standard Motor Products stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.30, for a total transaction of $45,194.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 60,216 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,306,272.80. The trade was a 1.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Carmine Joseph Broccole sold 1,148 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.31, for a total transaction of $43,979.88. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 83,367 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,193,789.77. This represents a 1.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 valued at $606,215. Company insiders own 5.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Standard Motor Products

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in Standard Motor Products by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 24,300 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $992,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in Standard Motor Products by 4.6% during 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 buying an additional 546 shares during the period. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Standard Motor Products by 2.0% in the second quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 29,815 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $916,000 after buying an additional 587 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its holdings 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 buying an additional 628 shares during the period. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in Standard Motor Products by 4,842.1% during the 2nd 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 in the last quarter. 81.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Standard Motor Products

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.