Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. Has $3.69 Million Stake in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 4.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 44,773 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 1,932 shares during the quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $3,691,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of AOS. Artemis Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in A. O. Smith during the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in A. O. Smith by 628.0% during the third quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 597 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 515 shares during the period. Addison Advisors LLC grew its holdings in A. O. Smith by 36.1% during the third quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 712 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA grew its holdings in A. O. Smith by 393.1% during the third quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 858 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 684 shares during the period. Finally, UniSuper Management Pty Ltd acquired a new position in A. O. Smith during the second quarter valued at approximately $66,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other A. O. Smith news, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 9,890 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.63, for a total transaction of $836,990.70. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 9,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $800,176.65. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other A. O. Smith news, Director Idelle K. Wolf sold 814 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total transaction of $65,120.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 46,140 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,691,200. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 9,890 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.63, for a total transaction of $836,990.70. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 9,455 shares in the company, valued at $800,176.65. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 95,631 shares of company stock valued at $8,042,535. 2.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $74.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 19th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, April 8th. StockNews.com lowered shares of A. O. Smith from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, A. O. Smith currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $86.67.

A. O. Smith Stock Performance

Shares of AOS stock opened at $85.38 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $84.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is $78.95. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The firm has a market cap of $12.57 billion, a PE ratio of 23.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.25. A. O. Smith Co. has a 12 month low of $63.88 and a 12 month high of $89.96.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.96 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $988.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $985.89 million. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 14.45% and a return on equity of 31.05%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.86 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that A. O. Smith Co. will post 4.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be given a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.50%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 29th. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio is presently 34.59%.

A. O. Smith 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.