Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Buys Shares of 9,087 Standard Motor Products, Inc. (NYSE:SMP)

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH has acquired 9,087 shares of Standard Motor Products, Inc. for approximately $227,000, marking a notable addition to its investment portfolio.
• Other hedge funds have increased their stakes in Standard Motor Products, with Vanguard Group Inc. boosting its holdings by 4.3% during the fourth quarter.
• Wall Street analysts have upgraded Standard Motor Products' rating from "buy" to "strong-buy," indicating a forecast for potential growth in its stock value.

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in shares of Standard Motor Products, Inc. (NYSE:SMP - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 9,087 shares of the auto parts company's stock, valued at approximately $227,000.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of SMP. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new stake in Standard Motor Products in the 1st quarter worth $996,000. North Star Investment Management Corp. purchased a new stake in shares of Standard Motor Products in the first quarter valued at about $823,000. Rhumbline Advisers grew its position in Standard Motor Products by 8.4% in the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 128,896 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $3,213,000 after acquiring an additional 9,979 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in Standard Motor Products by 144.8% in the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 25,604 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $638,000 after purchasing an additional 15,146 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Standard Motor Products by 2,880.9% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 26,351 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $657,000 after purchasing an additional 25,467 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.26% of the company's stock.

Standard Motor Products Price Performance

Shares of SMP traded up $1.72 on Wednesday, reaching $36.64. The stock had a trading volume of 327,438 shares, compared to its average volume of 172,021. Standard Motor Products, Inc. has a twelve month low of $21.38 and a twelve month high of $36.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $805.37 million, a PE ratio of 26.17 and a beta of 0.63. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $31.46 and a 200 day moving average of $29.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 2.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96.

Standard Motor Products (NYSE:SMP - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The auto parts company reported $1.29 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.32. The firm had revenue of $493.85 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $450.21 million. Standard Motor Products had a return on equity of 12.12% and a net margin of 2.02%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 26.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.98 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Standard Motor Products, Inc. will post 3.08 EPS for the current year.

Standard Motor Products Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. Standard Motor Products's payout ratio is presently 88.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Wall Street Zen raised Standard Motor Products from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 26th.

Standard Motor Products Profile

Standard Motor Products, Inc manufactures and distributes replacement automotive parts in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Vehicle Control, Temperature Control, and Engineered Solutions segments. The company provides components for the ignition, emissions, and fuel delivery systems, such as air injection and induction components, air management valves, regulators and solenoids, exhaust gas recirculation components, fuel injectors and related components, fuel valves, ignition coils, connectors and sockets, modules, pumps, relays and fuses, starting and charging system parts, and vapor and purge components.