Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. Purchases 410 Shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. increased its position in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 9.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,691 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 410 shares during the quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc.’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $320,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of AOS. Private Advisor Group LLC bought a new position in A. O. Smith during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $268,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in A. O. Smith during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $3,123,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue boosted its stake in A. O. Smith by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 13,936 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,251,000 after acquiring an additional 610 shares during the last quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. bought a new position in A. O. Smith during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $226,000. Finally, First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. bought a new position in A. O. Smith during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $256,000. Institutional investors own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

NYSE AOS opened at $66.43 on Friday. 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 12-month low of $64.55 and a 12-month high of $92.44. The company has a market capitalization of $9.56 billion, a PE ratio of 18.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.17. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $68.10 and its 200-day moving average is $74.91.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.85 earnings per share (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%. Equities research analysts anticipate that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Investors of record on Friday, January 31st were issued a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.05%. A. O. Smith’s payout ratio is 37.47%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 1,026 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.65, for a total transaction of $67,356.90. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 8,889 shares in the company, valued at approximately $583,562.85. The trade was a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Douglas Samuel Karge sold 419 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.65, for a total transaction of $27,507.35. Following the transaction, 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. 2.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on AOS shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $90.00 to $84.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $80.00 to $74.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer dropped their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $88.00 to $84.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $78.00 to $73.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 13th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, A. O. Smith presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $80.86.

About A. O. Smith

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.