A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) Shares Sold by HBK Sorce Advisory LLC

HBK Sorce Advisory LLC lowered its stake in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 2.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 8,472 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 207 shares during the quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $578,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the third quarter worth about $43,000. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the third quarter worth about $55,000. Huntington National Bank lifted its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 19.8% during the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 812 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $73,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the fourth quarter worth about $60,000. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the third quarter worth about $82,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

A. O. Smith Stock Performance

Shares of A. O. Smith stock opened at $66.91 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.18. A. O. Smith Co. has a 52 week low of $64.55 and a 52 week high of $92.44. 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’s 50 day moving average is $67.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $73.96.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last announced its quarterly 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%. Research analysts forecast that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st were given 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 2.03%. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.47%.

Insider Transactions at A. O. Smith

In related news, SVP Douglas Samuel Karge sold 419 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,749 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $180,471.85. This trade represents a 13.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 1,026 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $583,562.85. This represents a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.76% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Friday, March 7th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $80.00 to $74.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $78.00 to $73.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $90.00 to $84.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $80.86.

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.