Fiera Capital Corp Cuts Stake in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Fiera Capital Corp lessened its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 2.4% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 715,372 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 17,907 shares during the quarter. Fiera Capital Corp’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $48,796,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Waldron Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the third quarter worth about $32,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC purchased a new stake in A. O. Smith during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in A. O. Smith during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of A. O. Smith in the third quarter worth $55,000. Finally, Ridgewood Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the fourth quarter worth $60,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at A. O. Smith

In related news, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 1,026 shares of the company’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 transaction, the vice president now owns 8,889 shares in the company, valued at $583,562.85. This represents a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Douglas Samuel Karge sold 419 shares of A. O. Smith stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.65, for a total value of $27,507.35. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,749 shares in the company, valued at approximately $180,471.85. The trade was a 13.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.70% of the company’s stock.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

NYSE:AOS opened at $65.30 on Thursday. 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 52 week low of $64.55 and a 52 week high of $92.44. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $69.35 and its 200-day moving average price is $76.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.47 billion, a PE ratio of 17.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.17.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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%. As a group, equities analysts expect that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be given a dividend of $0.34 per share. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 31st. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.47%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on AOS. Citigroup lowered their price target 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. UBS Group decreased their target price on A. O. Smith from $80.00 to $74.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Saturday, February 1st. Finally, DA Davidson downgraded shares of A. O. Smith from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $80.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus 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.