A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) Shares Sold by Boston Financial Mangement LLC

Boston Financial Mangement LLC reduced its holdings in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 7.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 481,513 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 38,781 shares during the quarter. A. O. Smith comprises 1.0% of Boston Financial Mangement LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. Boston Financial Mangement LLC’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $32,844,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its holdings in A. O. Smith by 124.5% during the fourth quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 6,694 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $457,000 after buying an additional 3,712 shares in the last quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. boosted its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 9.6% during the 4th quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 4,691 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $320,000 after acquiring an additional 410 shares in the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. grew its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 6.7% in the 4th quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 10,419 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $711,000 after acquiring an additional 654 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its stake in A. O. Smith by 684.3% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 138,991 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $9,462,000 after purchasing an additional 121,270 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC raised its holdings in A. O. Smith by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 18,966 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,277,000 after purchasing an additional 596 shares during the last quarter. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

A. O. Smith Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AOS opened at $67.43 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The company has a market cap of $9.78 billion, a PE ratio of 18.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $68.69 and a 200-day simple moving average of $75.57. A. O. Smith Co. has a 12 month low of $64.55 and a 12 month high of $92.44.

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 return on equity of 28.87% and a net margin of 13.98%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.77 earnings per share for the current year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The firm 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. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.02%. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.47%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 8,889 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $583,562.85. This trade represents a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Douglas Samuel Karge sold 419 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, 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. 2.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. StockNews.com raised A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $81.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $78.00 to $73.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 13th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Oppenheimer cut their price objective on 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 analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, A. O. Smith has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.