A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) SVP Sells $82,126.56 in Stock

A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS) SVP Darrell Schuh sold 1,104 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.39, for a total transaction of $82,126.56. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 2,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $163,732.39. This represents a 33.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

A. O. Smith Stock Performance

A. O. Smith stock traded down $1.94 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $73.69. 1,474,736 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,380,462. A. O. Smith Corporation has a 52-week low of $58.83 and a 52-week high of $81.86. The stock has a market cap of $10.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.50. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $73.65 and its 200 day moving average is $70.81.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $0.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $912.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $928.97 million. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 14.26% and a return on equity of 29.51%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.85 earnings per share. Analysts predict that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th were paid a dividend of $0.36 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 30th. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio is 37.31%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On A. O. Smith

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Prospera Financial Services Inc boosted its stake in A. O. Smith by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 3,261 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $218,000 after buying an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. Grey Ledge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in A. O. Smith by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Grey Ledge Advisors LLC now owns 8,966 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $600,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the period. Eukles Asset Management increased its position in A. O. Smith by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Eukles Asset Management now owns 29,240 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,956,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its stake in A. O. Smith by 31.8% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 642 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the period. Finally, Founders Financial Alliance LLC boosted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Founders Financial Alliance LLC now owns 5,607 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $375,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AOS has been the subject of several research reports. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $78.00 price objective (up from $72.00) on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Wednesday, December 24th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $75.00 target price on shares of A. O. Smith and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Robert W. Baird set a $77.00 price target on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of A. O. Smith from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, A. O. Smith presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $77.00.

About A. O. Smith

A. O. Smith Corporation, based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is a leading manufacturer of water heating and water treatment products for residential and commercial applications. Since its founding in 1874, the company has built a reputation for producing reliable, energy-efficient water heaters, boilers and pressure vessels. Its product portfolio encompasses gas, electric, condensing and tankless water heaters, as well as specialty boilers designed to meet a variety of building and industrial needs.

The company operates through two primary segments: North America and Asia.