Ieq Capital LLC Trims Position in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Ieq Capital LLC trimmed its position in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 60.0% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 3,953 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 5,939 shares during the period. Ieq Capital LLC’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $270,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in A. O. Smith in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $43,000. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the third quarter worth $55,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC bought a new stake in A. O. Smith during the fourth quarter valued at $60,000. Huntington National Bank grew its position in 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 buying an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in A. O. Smith in the 3rd quarter worth about $82,000. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AOS opened at $66.43 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $68.10 and its 200 day moving average is $74.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. A. O. Smith Co. has a 52 week low of $64.55 and a 52 week high of $92.44. The stock has a market cap of $9.56 billion, a PE ratio of 18.30, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.17.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.85 earnings per share 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%. Research analysts anticipate that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.76 earnings per share for the current year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Investors of record on Friday, January 31st were paid a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.05%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 31st. A. O. Smith’s payout ratio is 37.47%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on AOS. UBS Group dropped their price target on A. O. Smith from $80.00 to $74.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer dropped their target price on shares of 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. StockNews.com upgraded shares of A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of 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. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price target on 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. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $80.86.

Insider Activity at A. O. Smith

In other A. O. Smith news, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 1,026 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 $67,356.90. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 8,889 shares in the company, valued at approximately $583,562.85. The trade was a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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 stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.65, for a total transaction of $27,507.35. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,749 shares of the company’s stock, 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. 2.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.