Candriam S.C.A. Buys 1,119 Shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Candriam S.C.A. grew its stake in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 2.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 46,793 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,119 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $3,192,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the 3rd quarter valued at about $43,000. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new position in A. O. Smith during the 3rd quarter valued at about $55,000. Huntington National Bank lifted its position in A. O. Smith by 19.8% during the 3rd 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 during the period. Ridgewood Investments LLC purchased a new position in A. O. Smith during the 4th quarter valued at about $60,000. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in A. O. Smith during the 3rd quarter valued at about $82,000. Institutional investors own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

A. O. Smith Stock Up 1.8 %

AOS opened at $69.45 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $67.95 and a 200-day moving average price of $74.43. A. O. Smith Co. has a twelve month low of $64.55 and a twelve month high of $92.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.13, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.18.

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

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st were issued a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.96%. A. O. Smith’s payout ratio is 37.47%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of 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. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target 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. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $78.00 to $73.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Oppenheimer decreased 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 report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Friday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, A. O. Smith has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $80.86.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 1,026 shares of the business’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 sale, the vice president now directly 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Douglas Samuel Karge sold 419 shares of the business’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 $27,507.35. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,749 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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. 0.76% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.