Wedbush Securities Inc. Has $577,000 Stake in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Wedbush Securities Inc. raised its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 7.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,455 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 579 shares during the period. Wedbush Securities Inc.’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $577,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Aviva PLC raised its stake in A. O. Smith by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 8,365 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $571,000 after buying an additional 441 shares during the period. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the fourth quarter worth about $210,000. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the fourth quarter worth about $3,837,000. Bryce Point Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the 4th quarter valued at about $472,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of A. O. Smith in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $201,000. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

A. O. Smith Stock Down 1.6 %

NYSE:AOS opened at $59.65 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. A. O. Smith Co. has a twelve month low of $59.12 and a twelve month high of $92.45. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $65.99 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $71.91.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 expect that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.34 per share. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.28%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.47%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on AOS shares. UBS Group reduced 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 report on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on A. O. Smith from $88.00 to $84.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on A. O. Smith from $90.00 to $84.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup reduced their price objective on 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. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Tuesday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $80.86.

Insider Transactions at A. O. Smith

In related news, SVP Douglas Samuel Karge sold 419 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The shares were 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 approximately $180,471.85. This trade represents a 13.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 1,026 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $583,562.85. This represents a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.76% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.