Standard Motor Products, Inc. (NYSE:SMP) Holdings Trimmed by Azarias Capital Management L.P.

Azarias Capital Management L.P. trimmed its position in Standard Motor Products, Inc. (NYSE:SMP) by 3.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 362,642 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after selling 14,773 shares during the period. Standard Motor Products comprises 5.0% of Azarias Capital Management L.P.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Azarias Capital Management L.P.’s holdings in Standard Motor Products were worth $11,235,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Standard Motor Products by 153.8% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 906 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 549 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in Standard Motor Products by 147.2% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,031 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 614 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its position in Standard Motor Products by 64.6% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,745 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 685 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Standard Motor Products in the third quarter worth about $73,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Standard Motor Products by 3,237.5% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 4,005 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $121,000 after acquiring an additional 3,885 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Standard Motor Products from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st.

Insider Buying and Selling at Standard Motor Products

In other news, VP Ray Nicholas sold 4,730 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.11, for a total value of $161,340.30. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 46,385 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,582,192.35. The trade was a 9.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 5.00% of the company’s stock.

Standard Motor Products Stock Performance

Shares of SMP opened at $30.54 on Thursday. Standard Motor Products, Inc. has a 1 year low of $26.09 and a 1 year high of $41.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 2.25 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $31.45 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $31.82. The firm has a market cap of $663.22 million, a PE ratio of 18.85 and a beta of 0.52.

Standard Motor Products Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Standard Motor Products’s dividend payout ratio is currently 71.61%.

About Standard Motor Products

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.