LONDON, April 16 (Reuters) - Activist shareholder Sparta

Capital Management is pushing British engineering services firm

Wood Group to consider either selling itself or to

reconsider its UK listing, according to a letter from the fund

manager on Tuesday.

Shares in the FTSE 250 company were last up 0.1% at

0915 GMT at about 142 pence.

A representative for the hedge fund declined to comment on

the letter and also declined to confirm how much stock Sparta

Capital ( SCAXF ) held in Wood Group. Wood Group also declined to

comment.

Wood Group's share price performance has not matched that of

U.S.-listed engineering peers Jacobs Solutions ( J ) and KBR

, the hedge fund said in its letter to the company,

published on Tuesday.

In the last 12 months, Wood Group's shares have lost some

37% in value, compared with a 8.6% gain for KBR shares and a

rise of 24% in Jacobs Solutions ( J ).

"UK mid-caps have chronically underperformed global equities

in recent years," Sparta Capital ( SCAXF ) said.

Wood Group's future, "could be best supported by different

owners, and we urge you to undertake a strategic review and

explore the best way to maximise shareholder value, including a

sale of the company," the letter said.

Last year, U.S.-based Apollo Global Management ( APO )

abandoned a $2.1 billion takeover of Wood Group after multiple

attempts without citing any reasons.

Wood Group's share price now trades at a discount to that

offer, the letter noted. The company's market capitalisation was

$1.21 billion at Monday's close, while Apollo's bid had valued

it at $2.1 billion.

Sparta Capital ( SCAXF ) is a multi-strategy investment fund launched

in 2021 by ex-Elliott Management investor Franck Tuil, and is

based in London.

Wood Group planned to cut "hundreds" of jobs nearly a year

after the collapse of takeover talks, according to March

reports.