Cibc World Markets Corp Acquires 2,473 Shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Cibc World Markets Corp grew its stake in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 15.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 18,830 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 2,473 shares during the period. Cibc World Markets Corp’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $1,284,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of AOS. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in A. O. Smith by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 98,594 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $8,857,000 after acquiring an additional 684 shares during the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 5.1% in the third quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,240 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $291,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 27.6% in the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 9,689 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $870,000 after buying an additional 2,096 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its stake in A. O. Smith by 20.9% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 84,256 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $7,569,000 after buying an additional 14,587 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quest Partners LLC purchased a new position in A. O. Smith during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $268,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

A. O. Smith Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE AOS opened at $66.47 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $67.72 and its 200-day moving average price is $73.42. A. O. Smith Co. has a fifty-two week low of $64.55 and a fifty-two week high of $92.45. 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 company has a market cap of $9.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.31, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.18.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last released its earnings results 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 return on equity of 28.87% and a net margin of 13.98%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.76 earnings per share for the current year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st were issued a $0.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.05%. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.47%.

Insider Transactions at A. O. Smith

In other A. O. Smith 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 sale, the vice president now owns 8,889 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $583,562.85. The trade was a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Douglas Samuel Karge sold 419 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.65, for a total transaction of $27,507.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,749 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $180,471.85. This represents a 13.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.76% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. UBS Group lowered their target price on 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 dropped their price objective on shares of 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. StockNews.com upgraded shares of A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on A. O. Smith from $78.00 to $73.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, A. O. Smith has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $80.86.

A. O. Smith 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.