SG Americas Securities LLC Sells 3,000 Shares of Standard Motor Products, Inc. (NYSE:SMP)

SG Americas Securities LLC lowered its holdings in Standard Motor Products, Inc. (NYSE:SMP) by 22.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,458 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after selling 3,000 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Standard Motor Products were worth $324,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings 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. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in Standard Motor Products by 7.0% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 104,913 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $3,483,000 after purchasing an additional 6,819 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Standard Motor Products during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $3,876,000. Barclays PLC raised its stake in shares of Standard Motor Products by 359.9% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 48,522 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $1,609,000 after purchasing an additional 37,971 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Standard Motor Products by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 485,299 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $16,115,000 after buying an additional 27,210 shares during the last quarter. 81.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Ray Nicholas sold 4,730 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.11, for a total transaction of $161,340.30. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 46,385 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,582,192.35. This trade represents a 9.25 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Nathan R. Iles sold 1,485 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.97, for a total transaction of $51,930.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 29,015 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,014,654.55. This trade represents a 4.87 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 11,184 shares of company stock valued at $387,041. 5.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Standard Motor Products Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE:SMP opened at $30.94 on Wednesday. Standard Motor Products, Inc. has a 52-week low of $26.09 and a 52-week high of $41.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 2.25. The company has a market capitalization of $671.91 million, a P/E ratio of 19.10 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $31.72 and a 200 day simple moving average of $31.86.

Standard Motor Products Dividend Announcement

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 paid a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.75%. Standard Motor Products’s dividend payout ratio is currently 71.61%.

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.