Mariner LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Mariner LLC lowered its stake in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 19.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,223 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 4,474 shares during the quarter. Mariner LLC’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $1,243,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the third quarter worth about $1,726,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in A. O. Smith by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,231,084 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $83,972,000 after acquiring an additional 12,305 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. raised its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 7.1% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 27,825 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,898,000 after acquiring an additional 1,834 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 124.5% during the 4th quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 6,694 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $457,000 after acquiring an additional 3,712 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of A. O. Smith in the fourth quarter valued at $7,015,000. Institutional investors own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

A. O. Smith Trading Down 0.4 %

AOS opened at $65.05 on Friday. A. O. Smith Co. has a one year low of $58.83 and a one year high of $92.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.55. The stock has a market cap of $9.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.26. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $65.30 and its 200-day moving average price is $69.68.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.85 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%. On average, equities analysts forecast that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.76 EPS for the current year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.09%. A. O. Smith’s payout ratio is 37.47%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AOS has been the subject of several research reports. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $80.00 to $74.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $69.00 to $65.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. 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. StockNews.com raised A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Thursday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $76.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at A. O. Smith

In related news, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 1,026 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Douglas Samuel Karge sold 419 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 $27,507.35. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,749 shares in the company, valued at $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. 0.76% of the stock is 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.