US Bancorp DE lessened its position in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS – Free Report) by 7.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 19,567 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,524 shares during the quarter. US Bancorp DE’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $1,613,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.
Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the 4th quarter valued at $1,258,000. Trust Point Inc. bought a new stake in A. O. Smith during the fourth quarter worth about $4,047,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its holdings in A. O. Smith by 24.3% in the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 246,964 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $20,360,000 after purchasing an additional 48,325 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas increased its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 217.9% during the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 31,025 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,558,000 after purchasing an additional 21,266 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 8.8% during the third quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 37,768 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,498,000 after purchasing an additional 3,065 shares during the last quarter. 76.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
A. O. Smith Stock Up 1.9 %
AOS opened at $83.64 on Friday. A. O. Smith Co. has a twelve month low of $63.88 and a twelve month high of $89.96. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $85.80 and a 200-day moving average price of $82.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.67, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.27.
A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.99 by $0.01. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 14.94% and a return on equity of 30.94%. The business had revenue of $978.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $995.91 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.94 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that A. O. Smith Co. will post 4.08 earnings per share for the current year.
A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th were given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, April 29th. A. O. Smith’s payout ratio is currently 33.16%.
Insider Transactions at A. O. Smith
In other A. O. Smith news, Director Ajita G. Rajendra sold 60,258 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.51, for a total transaction of $5,092,403.58. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 56,951 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,812,929.01. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 9,890 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.63, for a total value of $836,990.70. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 9,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $800,176.65. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Ajita G. Rajendra sold 60,258 shares of A. O. Smith stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.51, for a total value of $5,092,403.58. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 56,951 shares in the company, valued at $4,812,929.01. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 2.70% of the company’s stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Oppenheimer reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Citigroup raised their price target on A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, April 8th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $91.00 to $90.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 26th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of A. O. Smith from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $86.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $90.67.
Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on AOS
About A. O. Smith
A. O. Smith Corporation manufactures and markets residential and commercial gas and electric water heaters, boilers, heat pumps, tanks, and water treatment products in North America, China, Europe, and India. The company offers water heaters for residences, restaurants, hotels, office buildings, laundries, car washes, and small businesses; boilers for hospitals, schools, hotels, and other large commercial buildings, as well as homes, apartments, and condominiums; and water treatment products comprising point-of-entry water softeners, well water solutions, and whole-home water filtration products, and point-of-use carbon and reverse osmosis products for residences, restaurants, hotels, and offices.
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Source: defenseworld.net
