WealthPLAN Partners LLC Cuts Stock Position in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

WealthPLAN Partners LLC trimmed its position in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 25.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 17,011 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 5,925 shares during the quarter. WealthPLAN Partners LLC’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $1,160,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AOS. PUREfi Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in A. O. Smith during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $252,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 13.4% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 4,089 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $279,000 after purchasing an additional 482 shares during the last quarter. Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 22.9% during the 4th quarter. Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 374,933 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $25,574,000 after purchasing an additional 69,800 shares during the last quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC boosted its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 8,722 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $595,000 after purchasing an additional 350 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Regents Gate Capital LLP purchased a new position in A. O. Smith during the 4th quarter worth $9,993,000. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $81.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Oppenheimer lowered 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 note on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $78.00 to $73.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 13th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $80.00 to $74.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on A. O. Smith from $90.00 to $84.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. 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 MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $80.86.

Insider Activity at A. O. Smith

In other news, SVP Douglas Samuel Karge sold 419 shares of the firm’s 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 directly owns 2,749 shares in the company, valued at $180,471.85. This trade represents a 13.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 1,026 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.65, for a total value of $67,356.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 8,889 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $583,562.85. The trade was a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 2.70% of the company’s stock.

A. O. Smith Trading Up 0.3 %

NYSE AOS opened at $66.22 on Friday. A. O. Smith Co. has a 1 year low of $64.55 and a 1 year high of $92.44. 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 company has a market capitalization of $9.60 billion, a PE ratio of 18.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a fifty day moving average of $69.10 and a 200 day moving average of $75.99.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last issued 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%. Research analysts forecast that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.77 earnings per share for the current year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be issued 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 is Friday, January 31st. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.47%.

A. O. Smith Company 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.