Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC Makes New Investment in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC purchased a new stake in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 16,271 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $1,110,000.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Waldron Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in A. O. Smith in the third quarter valued at $32,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC purchased a new stake in A. O. Smith in the 3rd quarter valued at about $37,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the 3rd quarter worth about $43,000. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the third quarter worth approximately $55,000. Finally, Ridgewood Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the fourth quarter worth approximately $60,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. DA Davidson downgraded shares of A. O. Smith from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $80.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on 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. Citigroup cut their price objective on A. O. Smith from $78.00 to $73.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 13th. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $81.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $80.00 to $74.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, A. O. Smith presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $80.86.

Insider Transactions at A. O. Smith

In other news, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 1,026 shares of A. O. Smith 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 8,889 shares in the company, valued at approximately $583,562.85. This trade represents a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Douglas Samuel Karge sold 419 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owns 2,749 shares in the company, valued at approximately $180,471.85. This represents a 13.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.70% of the company's stock.

A. O. Smith Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:AOS traded up $0.22 during trading on Monday, hitting $66.22. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,719,948 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,574,804. The company has a market capitalization of $9.60 billion, a PE ratio of 18.24, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.17. A. O. Smith Co. has a fifty-two week low of $64.55 and a fifty-two week high of $92.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.55. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $68.94 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $75.74.

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

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

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

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.