A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) Stock Holdings Lessened by Securian Asset Management Inc.

Securian Asset Management Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 2.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,351 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 174 shares during the period. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $433,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the third quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new position in A. O. Smith during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC acquired a new stake in A. O. Smith in the fourth quarter worth $60,000. Huntington National Bank increased its position in A. O. Smith by 19.8% in the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 812 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $73,000 after buying an additional 134 shares during the period. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in A. O. Smith in the third quarter valued at $82,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

NYSE:AOS opened at $67.46 on Tuesday. A. O. Smith Co. has a 52-week low of $64.55 and a 52-week high of $92.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The firm has a market cap of $9.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.58, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.18. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $67.81 and its 200 day moving average price is $73.74.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last released 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 net margin of 13.98% and a return on equity of 28.87%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st were issued a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.02%. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio is 37.47%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AOS has been the topic of several recent research reports. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $78.00 to $73.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on A. O. Smith from $90.00 to $84.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group decreased their price objective on A. O. Smith from $80.00 to $74.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered their price target on A. O. Smith from $88.00 to $84.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $80.86.

Insider Buying and Selling at A. O. Smith

In related news, SVP Douglas Samuel Karge sold 419 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,749 shares in the company, valued at approximately $180,471.85. This trade represents a 13.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 1,026 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.65, for a total transaction of $67,356.90. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 8,889 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $583,562.85. This represents a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.76% of the company’s stock.

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.