Azarias Capital Management L.P. Has $11.24 Million Stake in Standard Motor Products, Inc. (NYSE:SMP)

Azarias Capital Management L.P. decreased its holdings in shares of Standard Motor Products, Inc. (NYSE:SMP) by 3.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (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 accounts for about 5.0% of Azarias Capital Management L.P.’s portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Azarias Capital Management L.P. owned 1.67% of Standard Motor Products worth $11,235,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Standard Motor Products Stock Down 2.2 %

SMP stock opened at $30.54 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $31.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is $31.82. The company has a market cap of $663.22 million, a P/E ratio of 18.85 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 2.25. Standard Motor Products, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $26.09 and a fifty-two week high of $41.17.

Standard Motor Products Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.80%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Standard Motor Products’s payout ratio is presently 71.61%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Ray Nicholas sold 4,730 shares of Standard Motor Products stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.11, for a total transaction of $161,340.30. Following the transaction, 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 5.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.