John G Ullman & Associates Inc. Lowers Stake in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

John G Ullman & Associates Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 2.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 8,500 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 200 shares during the period. John G Ullman & Associates Inc.’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $580,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in A. O. Smith during the 3rd quarter worth $43,000. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new position in A. O. Smith during the 3rd quarter worth $55,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC purchased a new position in A. O. Smith during the 4th quarter worth $60,000. Huntington National Bank boosted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 19.8% in the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 812 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $73,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the third quarter valued at about $82,000. 76.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at A. O. Smith

In related news, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 1,026 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.65, for a total transaction of $67,356.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Douglas Samuel Karge sold 419 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AOS has been the topic of several analyst reports. Citigroup lowered 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 report on Monday, January 13th. UBS Group lowered 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 report on Friday, January 31st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $88.00 to $84.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $80.86.

A. O. Smith Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE AOS opened at $66.43 on Friday. A. O. Smith Co. has a 12-month low of $64.55 and a 12-month high of $92.44. The company has a market capitalization of $9.56 billion, a PE ratio of 18.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.17. 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 firm’s 50-day moving average is $68.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $74.88.

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

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Investors of record on Friday, January 31st were paid a dividend of $0.34 per share. 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%.

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.