IFG Advisory LLC Buys 7,302 Shares of A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS

IFG Advisory LLC increased its stake in A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS) by 28.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 32,682 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 7,302 shares during the quarter. IFG Advisory LLC’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $2,399,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rothschild Investment LLC lifted its stake in A. O. Smith by 3,125.0% in the third quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 387 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 375 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC increased its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 44,400.0% during the 2nd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 445 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 444 shares during the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P bought a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Evelyn Partners Investment Management LLP lifted its stake in A. O. Smith by 988.9% in the 2nd quarter. Evelyn Partners Investment Management LLP now owns 490 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 445 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in A. O. Smith during the third quarter worth about $33,000. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

A. O. Smith Stock Performance

NYSE:AOS opened at $71.93 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $73.84 and a 200 day simple moving average of $70.83. The stock has a market cap of $9.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.63, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.33. A. O. Smith Corporation has a 1-year low of $58.83 and a 1-year high of $81.86. The company has a current ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $0.90 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.84 by $0.06. A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 29.51% and a net margin of 14.26%.The firm had revenue of $912.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $928.97 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.85 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.76 earnings per share for the current year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th were paid a $0.36 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 30th. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. A. O. Smith’s payout ratio is 37.31%.

Insider Transactions at A. O. Smith

In other A. O. Smith news, SVP Darrell W. Schuh sold 1,104 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.39, for a total transaction of $82,126.56. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 2,201 shares in the company, valued at $163,732.39. This represents a 33.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.76% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on AOS. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $78.00 price objective (up from $72.00) on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $85.00 target price on A. O. Smith and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Wall Street Zen downgraded A. O. Smith from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 14th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Wednesday, December 24th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $75.00 price objective on shares of A. O. Smith and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $77.00.

A. O. Smith Company Profile

A. O. Smith Corporation, based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is a leading manufacturer of water heating and water treatment products for residential and commercial applications. Since its founding in 1874, the company has built a reputation for producing reliable, energy-efficient water heaters, boilers and pressure vessels. Its product portfolio encompasses gas, electric, condensing and tankless water heaters, as well as specialty boilers designed to meet a variety of building and industrial needs.

The company operates through two primary segments: North America and Asia.