9,058 Shares in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) Acquired by Unique Wealth Strategies LLC

Unique Wealth Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 9,058 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $747,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of AOS. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 30.2% in the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 170,567 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $14,060,000 after buying an additional 39,527 shares during the period. Addison Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 28.7% during the 4th quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 916 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $76,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. Golden State Equity Partners purchased a new stake in A. O. Smith in the fourth quarter valued at about $209,000. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in A. O. Smith by 10.5% in the fourth quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 3,568 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $294,000 after buying an additional 338 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. raised its stake in A. O. Smith by 71.3% in the fourth quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 6,991 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $576,000 after buying an additional 2,911 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Oppenheimer reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. StockNews.com cut A. O. Smith from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on A. O. Smith from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on A. O. Smith from $86.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, April 8th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, A. O. Smith currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $90.67.

A. O. Smith Stock Performance

Shares of AOS stock traded up $0.39 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $83.21. The stock had a trading volume of 1,316,242 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,049,093. The business's fifty day moving average is $85.71 and its 200-day moving average is $79.92. The company has a current ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The firm has a market cap of $12.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.56, a PEG ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 1.25. A. O. Smith Co. has a 1-year low of $63.88 and a 1-year high of $89.96.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.99 by $0.01. A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 30.94% and a net margin of 14.94%. The firm had revenue of $978.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $995.91 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.94 earnings per share. A. O. Smith's revenue for the quarter was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that A. O. Smith Co. will post 4.09 earnings per share for the current year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.54%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 29th. A. O. Smith's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.16%.

Insider Activity at A. O. Smith

In related news, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 9,890 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.63, for a total value of $836,990.70. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 9,455 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $800,176.65. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In related news, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 9,890 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.63, for a total value of $836,990.70. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 9,455 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $800,176.65. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Idelle K. Wolf sold 814 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total transaction of $65,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 46,140 shares in the company, valued at $3,691,200. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 95,631 shares of company stock worth $8,042,535. 2.70% of the stock is owned by company 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.