Victory Capital Management Inc. Decreases Holdings in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Victory Capital Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 3.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 95,587 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 3,007 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned 0.07% of A. O. Smith worth $6,520,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in AOS. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in A. O. Smith in the 3rd quarter worth about $209,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its position in A. O. Smith by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 286,735 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $25,757,000 after purchasing an additional 13,010 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank raised its position in A. O. Smith by 19.8% in the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 812 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $73,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the period. Metis Global Partners LLC increased its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 6.3% during the third quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 6,403 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $575,000 after acquiring an additional 377 shares during the period. Finally, Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 12.2% during the third quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 4,002 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $360,000 after acquiring an additional 434 shares during the period. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Citigroup reduced 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 research report on Monday, January 13th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced 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 research report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group reduced 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 research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $80.86.

A. O. Smith Stock Performance

Shares of AOS stock opened at $66.91 on Friday. A. O. Smith Co. has a 12 month low of $64.55 and a 12 month high of $92.44. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The company has a market cap of $9.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.43, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.18. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $67.84 and a 200 day moving average price of $73.96.

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

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Investors of record on Friday, January 31st were given a $0.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.03%. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.47%.

Insider Buying and Selling at A. O. Smith

In related news, SVP Douglas Samuel Karge sold 419 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.65, for a total value of $27,507.35. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,749 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $180,471.85. This represents a 13.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 1,026 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.65, for a total value of $67,356.90. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 8,889 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $583,562.85. The trade was a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.76% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.