Insider Selling: Standard Motor Products, Inc. (NYSE:SMP) VP Sells $43,308.54 in Stock

Standard Motor Products, Inc. (NYSE:SMP) VP Ray Nicholas sold 1,242 shares of Standard Motor Products stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.87, for a total transaction of $43,308.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 47,203 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,645,968.61. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Standard Motor Products Price Performance

SMP opened at $35.80 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $777.93 million, a P/E ratio of 22.24 and a beta of 0.64. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $33.79 and a 200-day moving average of $35.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. Standard Motor Products, Inc. has a 12-month low of $30.15 and a 12-month high of $42.42.

Standard Motor Products (NYSE:SMP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 27th. The auto parts company reported $1.11 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.99 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $386.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $391.87 million. Standard Motor Products had a return on equity of 11.30% and a net margin of 2.59%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.05 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Standard Motor Products, Inc. will post 3.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Standard Motor Products Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 14th. Standard Motor Products’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 72.05%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Standard Motor Products

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of SMP. Arizona State Retirement System acquired a new position in Standard Motor Products in the 1st quarter worth about $208,000. Eagle Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Standard Motor Products by 0.8% in the first quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. now owns 92,202 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $3,403,000 after acquiring an additional 743 shares during the last quarter. Cullen Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Standard Motor Products in the first quarter valued at approximately $407,000. HRT Financial LP grew its position in Standard Motor Products by 128.7% in the first quarter. HRT Financial LP now owns 55,647 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $2,053,000 after acquiring an additional 31,313 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Martingale Asset Management L P raised its holdings in shares of Standard Motor Products by 3.7% during the 1st quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 24,965 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $921,000 after purchasing an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. 77.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. TheStreet cut Standard Motor Products from a “b-” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Monday, October 16th. StockNews.com raised shares of Standard Motor Products from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 30th.

Standard Motor Products Company Profile

Standard Motor Products, Inc manufactures and distributes automotive parts that are used in the maintenance, repair, and service of vehicles in the automotive aftermarket industry in the United States and internationally. The company's Engine Management segment provides electronic ignition control modules, camshaft and crankshaft position sensors, ignition wires and coils, switches and relays, exhaust gas recirculation valves, pressure and temperature sensors, variable valve timing components, mass airflow and fuel pressure sensors, electronic throttle bodies, and diesel injectors and pumps; and anti-lock brake, vehicle speed, tire pressure monitoring, and park assist sensors.