A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) Shares Acquired by Capital Fund Management S.A.

Capital Fund Management S.A. grew its position in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) by 56.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 99,224 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 35,919 shares during the quarter. Capital Fund Management S.A. owned 0.07% of A. O. Smith worth $6,768,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of AOS. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in A. O. Smith in the third quarter worth about $1,726,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of 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 valued at $83,972,000 after purchasing an additional 12,305 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,586,905 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $321,348,000 after purchasing an additional 52,593 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. increased its position 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 valued at $1,898,000 after purchasing an additional 1,834 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC raised its holdings in 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 buying an additional 3,712 shares during the period. 76.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, 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 transaction of $67,356.90. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 8,889 shares of the company's stock, valued at $583,562.85. This trade represents 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 available through this link. Also, SVP Douglas Samuel Karge sold 419 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.65, for a total transaction of $27,507.35. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,749 shares in the company, valued at $180,471.85. This represents 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 company insiders.

A. O. Smith Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE AOS traded up $0.23 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $63.09. The stock had a trading volume of 1,376,024 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,123,381. The business's fifty day moving average price is $65.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $70.80. The firm has a market cap of $9.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.26. A. O. Smith Co. has a 52-week low of $58.83 and a 52-week high of $92.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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%. Analysts expect that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be paid a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. A. O. Smith's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.47%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $69.00 to $65.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Oppenheimer decreased 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 research note on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group cut their target price on A. O. Smith from $80.00 to $74.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, StockNews.com raised A. O. Smith from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $76.50.

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.