CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co Has $4.11 Million Holdings in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co decreased its holdings in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 46.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 60,259 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 51,356 shares during the period. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $4,108,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Ridgewood Investments LLC acquired a new position in A. O. Smith in the fourth quarter worth about $60,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the 4th quarter worth approximately $66,000. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan acquired a new stake in A. O. Smith in the 4th quarter valued at $84,000. Signaturefd LLC grew its position in A. O. Smith by 40.0% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,299 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $89,000 after acquiring an additional 371 shares during the period. Finally, Kieckhefer Group LLC acquired a new position in A. O. Smith during the fourth quarter worth $123,000. 76.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

A. O. Smith Stock Performance

AOS stock opened at $65.31 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.40 billion, a PE ratio of 17.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $65.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $69.95. A. O. Smith Co. has a fifty-two week low of $58.83 and a fifty-two week high of $92.45.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.90 by ($0.05). A. O. Smith had a net margin of 13.98% and a return on equity of 28.87%. Analysts forecast that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.76 EPS for the current year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be given a dividend of $0.34 per share. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio is 37.47%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Thursday. Oppenheimer dropped their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $88.00 to $84.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group reduced their target price on A. O. Smith from $80.00 to $74.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com raised A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on A. O. Smith from $84.00 to $75.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $76.50.

Insider Transactions at A. O. Smith

In related news, SVP Douglas Samuel Karge sold 419 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.65, for a total value of $27,507.35. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,749 shares in the company, valued at approximately $180,471.85. This represents a 13.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 1,026 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 8,889 shares in the company, valued at approximately $583,562.85. This trade represents a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.76% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.