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

IFG Advisory LLC boosted its position in shares of A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS) by 28.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 32,682 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing 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.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of AOS. Rothschild Investment LLC grew its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 3,125.0% in the 3rd quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 387 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 375 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC raised its stake in 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 buying an additional 444 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in A. O. Smith during the third quarter worth about $33,000. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P acquired a new position in A. O. Smith in the second quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Evelyn Partners Investment Management LLP grew its stake in A. O. Smith by 988.9% in the second quarter. Evelyn Partners Investment Management LLP now owns 490 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 445 shares during the period. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

A. O. Smith Trading Down 1.9%

NYSE:AOS opened at $71.93 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $9.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.33. A. O. Smith Corporation has a twelve month low of $58.83 and a twelve month high of $81.86. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $73.84 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $70.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06.

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

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AOS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $78.00 price target (up from $72.00) on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Wall Street Zen cut A. O. Smith from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 14th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Wednesday, December 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $69.00 price target on shares of A. O. Smith and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $85.00 price objective on shares of A. O. Smith and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $77.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at A. O. Smith

In other news, SVP Darrell W. Schuh sold 1,104 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.39, for a total value of $82,126.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 2,201 shares in the company, valued at $163,732.39. This trade represents a 33.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.76% of the stock is owned by insiders.

A. O. Smith 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.