AssuredPartners Investment Advisors LLC Takes $386,000 Position in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

AssuredPartners Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 5,655 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $386,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,726,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,231,084 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $83,972,000 after purchasing an additional 12,305 shares during the period. FORA Capital LLC acquired a new position in A. O. Smith in the 3rd quarter valued at about $730,000. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in A. O. Smith by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,586,905 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $321,348,000 after acquiring an additional 52,593 shares during the period. Finally, Assetmark Inc. lifted its position in A. O. Smith by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 27,825 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,898,000 after acquiring an additional 1,834 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AOS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Saturday, March 22nd. Citigroup dropped their target price on A. O. Smith from $78.00 to $73.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 13th. Oppenheimer decreased their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $88.00 to $84.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $90.00 to $84.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of A. O. Smith from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $80.86.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 1,026 shares of the company'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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 8,889 shares in the company, valued at $583,562.85. This represents a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Douglas Samuel Karge sold 419 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 transaction of $27,507.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,749 shares in the company, valued at $180,471.85. This trade represents a 13.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.76% of the company's stock.

A. O. Smith Trading Up 0.3 %

A. O. Smith stock traded up $0.17 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $65.77. The stock had a trading volume of 261,176 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,084,170. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $67.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $72.71. A. O. Smith Co. has a one year low of $64.55 and a one year high of $92.45. The stock has a market cap of $9.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.85 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, equities analysts predict that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Investors of record on Friday, January 31st were given a dividend of $0.34 per share. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 31st. A. O. Smith's dividend payout ratio is currently 37.47%.

A. O. Smith Company Profile

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.