A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) Hits New 12-Month Low Following Insider Selling

A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week low on Wednesday following insider selling activity. The company traded as low as $64.69 and last traded at $64.92, with a volume of 23296 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $65.97.

Specifically, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 1,026 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.65, for a total value of $67,356.90. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 8,889 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $583,562.85. The trade was a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Douglas Samuel Karge sold 419 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.65, for a total value of $27,507.35. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,749 shares in the company, valued at approximately $180,471.85. This trade represents a 13.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on AOS shares. UBS Group dropped their target price on A. O. Smith from $80.00 to $74.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $90.00 to $84.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Saturday, February 1st. StockNews.com raised A. O. Smith from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $88.00 to $84.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $80.86.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $9.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.17. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $69.10 and a 200 day simple moving average of $75.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.55.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.90 by ($0.05). A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 28.87% and a net margin of 13.98%. On average, analysts anticipate that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Investors of record on Friday, January 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.34 per share. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.05%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 31st. A. O. Smith's payout ratio is currently 37.47%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On A. O. Smith

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 7.2% in the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,780 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $429,000 after buying an additional 322 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd grew its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 13,228 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,188,000 after purchasing an additional 554 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its position in A. O. Smith by 17.7% in the third quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 3,607 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $324,000 after purchasing an additional 543 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 44.7% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 7,828 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $640,000 after purchasing an additional 2,419 shares during the period. Finally, Vest Financial LLC grew its stake in A. O. Smith by 20.9% during the 3rd quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 620,212 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $55,714,000 after purchasing an additional 107,248 shares in the last quarter. 76.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.