Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 8,275 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $564,000.
Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AOS. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in A. O. Smith by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 14,117,943 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $962,985,000 after purchasing an additional 148,432 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 26.8% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,704,295 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $320,880,000 after acquiring an additional 995,043 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in A. O. Smith by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,698,517 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $251,751,000 after acquiring an additional 111,612 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in A. O. Smith by 19.0% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,618,191 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $178,587,000 after acquiring an additional 417,595 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV lifted its stake in A. O. Smith by 40.1% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,648,825 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $112,467,000 after purchasing an additional 471,990 shares in the last quarter. 76.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
A. O. Smith Trading Down 0.1 %
A. O. Smith stock traded down $0.04 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $68.41. The stock had a trading volume of 1,277,480 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,138,998. 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 firm has a market cap of $9.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.84, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 $92.45. The company has a fifty day moving average of $65.35 and a 200 day moving average of $69.09.
A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $963.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $950.56 million. A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 28.87% and a net margin of 13.98%. A. O. Smith's quarterly revenue was down 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.00 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
A. O. Smith Announces Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be issued a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.99%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. A. O. Smith's payout ratio is presently 37.99%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on AOS shares. StockNews.com raised A. O. Smith from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on A. O. Smith from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Oppenheimer cut their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $88.00 to $84.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, UBS Group dropped 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 note on Friday, January 31st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $76.17.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on A. O. Smith
Insider Activity at A. O. Smith
In other news, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 1,026 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The shares were 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Douglas Samuel Karge sold 419 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.65, for a total transaction of $27,507.35. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,749 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 currently owned by company insiders.
About A. O. Smith
(
Free Report)
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.
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