Northern Trust Corp Has $100.64 Million Stock Holdings in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Northern Trust Corp increased its position in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) by 22.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,475,503 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 266,297 shares during the quarter. Northern Trust Corp owned 1.02% of A. O. Smith worth $100,644,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AOS. Ridgewood Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the fourth quarter worth $60,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new position in A. O. Smith during the 4th quarter worth $66,000. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan acquired a new position in A. O. Smith during the 4th quarter worth about $84,000. Signaturefd LLC grew its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 40.0% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,299 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $89,000 after buying an additional 371 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kieckhefer Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the fourth quarter valued at about $123,000. Institutional investors own 76.10% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at A. O. Smith

In related news, 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 value of $27,507.35. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,749 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $180,471.85. This trade represents a 13.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 1,026 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.65, for a total value of $67,356.90. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 8,889 shares of the company's stock, valued at $583,562.85. This represents a 10.35 % 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 insiders.

A. O. Smith Trading Up 1.6 %

AOS opened at $68.47 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $9.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $65.35 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $69.16. 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 Co. has a 1-year low of $58.83 and a 1-year high of $92.45.

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

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors 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 dividend payout ratio is currently 37.99%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on AOS shares. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on A. O. Smith from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday. 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 report on Friday, January 31st. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on A. O. Smith from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective 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. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, A. O. Smith has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $76.17.

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.

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