AssuredPartners Investment Advisors LLC Invests $386,000 in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

AssuredPartners Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 5,655 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $386,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd grew its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 20.1% during the fourth quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 24,809 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,692,000 after purchasing an additional 4,160 shares in the last quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co boosted its stake in A. O. Smith by 48.8% during the fourth quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 15,912 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,085,000 after buying an additional 5,218 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in A. O. Smith by 7.6% during the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 251,819 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $17,275,000 after buying an additional 17,732 shares in the last quarter. Korea Investment CORP increased its stake in A. O. Smith by 72.3% in the 4th quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 112,505 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $7,674,000 after acquiring an additional 47,200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund purchased a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the 4th quarter worth approximately $280,000. 76.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

A. O. Smith Trading Down 2.0 %

AOS opened at $65.59 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.55. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $67.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $72.99. A. O. Smith Co. has a one year low of $64.55 and a one year high of $92.45. The stock has a market cap of $9.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.18.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 13.98% and a return on equity of 28.87%. On average, equities analysts forecast that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.76 EPS for the current year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st were given a $0.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.07%. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.47%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 1,026 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owns 8,889 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Douglas Samuel Karge sold 419 shares of A. O. Smith stock in a transaction on 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.76% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AOS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com raised shares of A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup reduced 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. Oppenheimer lowered their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $88.00 to $84.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Saturday, March 22nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on A. O. Smith from $90.00 to $84.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $80.86.

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.