Brendel Financial Advisors LLC Purchases New Shares in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Brendel Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 40,359 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $3,327,000. A. O. Smith comprises about 2.2% of Brendel Financial Advisors LLC's holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest holding.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AOS. Artemis Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the third quarter worth about $37,000. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 628.0% during the 3rd quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 597 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 515 shares during the period. Addison Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 36.1% during the 3rd quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 712 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA increased its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 393.1% during the 3rd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 858 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 684 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UniSuper Management Pty Ltd acquired a new position in shares of A. O. Smith in the 2nd quarter valued at $66,000. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

NYSE:AOS traded down $0.62 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $86.07. 1,134,607 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 933,224. The company has a market cap of $12.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.25. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $85.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $79.38. A. O. Smith Co. has a 52-week low of $63.88 and a 52-week high of $89.96. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.96 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $988.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $985.89 million. A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 31.05% and a net margin of 14.45%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.86 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that A. O. Smith Co. will post 4.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be given a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 29th. A. O. Smith's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.59%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Oppenheimer restated a "market perform" rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Thursday. Citigroup increased their price target on A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, April 8th. StockNews.com lowered A. O. Smith from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on A. O. Smith from $85.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $88.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 9,890 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.63, for a total transaction of $836,990.70. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 9,455 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $800,176.65. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Ajita G. Rajendra sold 24,669 shares of A. O. Smith stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.02, for a total transaction of $2,048,020.38. Following the transaction, the director now owns 56,951 shares in the company, valued at $4,728,072.02. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 9,890 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.63, for a total value of $836,990.70. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 9,455 shares of the company's stock, valued at $800,176.65. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 95,631 shares of company stock worth $8,042,535. 2.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.