MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB Decreases Stake in A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS

MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lessened its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS) by 4.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 226,241 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 10,220 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $15,131,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Magnetar Financial LLC acquired a new position in A. O. Smith during the second quarter worth about $2,837,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in A. O. Smith by 26.4% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 665,793 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $48,876,000 after buying an additional 139,117 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,265,091 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $82,952,000 after acquiring an additional 13,906 shares during the period. Alps Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 19.9% during the 3rd quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 273,216 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $20,057,000 after acquiring an additional 45,299 shares during the period. Finally, Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $750,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

AOS stock opened at $64.01 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $73.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $70.44. The firm has a market cap of $8.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.58, a PEG ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.50. A. O. Smith Corporation has a 1 year low of $58.83 and a 1 year high of $81.86.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $0.90 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.06. A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 29.51% and a net margin of 14.26%.The company had revenue of $912.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $928.97 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.85 earnings per share. A. O. Smith’s revenue was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Investors of record on Friday, January 30th were given a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 30th. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.31%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AOS has been the topic of a number of research reports. Robert W. Baird set a $77.00 price target on A. O. Smith in a report on Friday, January 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $69.00 target price on A. O. Smith and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $75.00 target price on A. O. Smith and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Wednesday, December 24th. Finally, 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 note on Friday, January 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $77.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Darrell W. Schuh sold 1,104 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $163,732.39. The trade was a 33.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

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.