Nuveen Asset Management LLC Sells 169,130 Shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Nuveen Asset Management LLC reduced its position in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) by 35.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 309,549 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 169,130 shares during the quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC owned 0.21% of A. O. Smith worth $21,114,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in A. O. Smith by 1.0% during 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 in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in 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 in the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC increased its stake 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 purchasing an additional 3,712 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in A. O. Smith during the 4th quarter valued at about $7,015,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in A. O. Smith by 16.6% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 122,726 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $8,371,000 after purchasing an additional 17,442 shares in the last quarter. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

A. O. Smith Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AOS traded up $0.22 during trading on Thursday, reaching $64.45. 289,214 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,468,902. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $65.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $68.17. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.16 billion, a PE ratio of 17.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.28. A. O. Smith Co. has a 52-week low of $58.83 and a 52-week high of $92.44.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The industrial products company reported $0.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $963.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $950.56 million. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 13.98% and a return on equity of 28.87%. The firm's revenue was down 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.00 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.76 earnings per share for the current year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th were issued a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 30th. A. O. Smith's payout ratio is 37.99%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AOS has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $69.00 to $65.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of A. O. Smith from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $80.00 to $74.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer dropped their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $88.00 to $84.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $76.17.

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.