Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. Boosts Holdings in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. increased its position in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 15.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,837 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 370 shares during the quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $234,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,258,000. Trust Point Inc. acquired a new position in A. O. Smith during the fourth quarter worth $4,047,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 24.3% during the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 246,964 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $20,360,000 after buying an additional 48,325 shares during the period. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. grew its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 8.8% in the third quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 37,768 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,498,000 after buying an additional 3,065 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FCF Advisors LLC lifted its stake in A. O. Smith by 138.7% during the 4th quarter. FCF Advisors LLC now owns 22,240 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,833,000 after acquiring an additional 12,923 shares in the last quarter. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

A. O. Smith stock opened at $86.37 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $12.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $86.33 and a 200-day simple moving average of $80.92. The company has a current ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. A. O. Smith Co. has a 12-month low of $63.88 and a 12-month high of $89.96.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $1.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.99 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $978.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $995.91 million. A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 30.94% and a net margin of 14.94%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.94 EPS. Equities analysts expect that A. O. Smith Co. will post 4.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.48%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 29th. A. O. Smith’s payout ratio is 33.16%.

Insider Activity at A. O. Smith

In other A. O. Smith news, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 9,890 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.63, for a total value of $836,990.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 9,455 shares in the company, valued at $800,176.65. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other A. O. Smith news, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 9,890 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.63, for a total value of $836,990.70. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 9,455 shares in the company, valued at $800,176.65. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Ajita G. Rajendra sold 60,258 shares of A. O. Smith stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.51, for a total transaction of $5,092,403.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 56,951 shares in the company, valued at $4,812,929.01. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 94,817 shares of company stock valued at $7,977,415 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 2.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on A. O. Smith from $91.00 to $90.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Citigroup upped their price objective on A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on A. O. Smith from $86.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $90.67.

A. O. Smith 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.