Numerai GP LLC Invests $1.89 Million in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Numerai GP LLC purchased a new position in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 27,671 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $1,887,000.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Czech National Bank boosted its holdings in A. O. Smith by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 25,826 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,762,000 after buying an additional 1,390 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in A. O. Smith by 23.0% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 329,436 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $22,471,000 after purchasing an additional 61,602 shares during the last quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC raised its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 99.9% in the fourth quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC now owns 5,975 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $408,000 after buying an additional 2,986 shares during the last quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 48.0% in the fourth quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 232,047 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $15,828,000 after buying an additional 75,281 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Guinness Asset Management LTD lifted its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 16.8% in the fourth quarter. Guinness Asset Management LTD now owns 7,531 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $514,000 after buying an additional 1,082 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.10% of the company's stock.

A. O. Smith Trading Down 0.3%

NYSE:AOS traded down $0.24 on Monday, reaching $70.28. The company's stock had a trading volume of 218,248 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,160,546. A. O. Smith Co. has a 12-month low of $58.83 and a 12-month high of $92.45. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $65.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $68.51. The firm has a market cap of $9.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The industrial products company reported $0.95 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $963.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $950.56 million. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 13.98% and a return on equity of 28.87%. A. O. Smith'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. On average, equities analysts anticipate that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th were given a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.94%. A. O. Smith's dividend payout ratio is currently 37.99%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AOS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of A. O. Smith from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on A. O. Smith from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on A. O. Smith from $69.00 to $65.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Saturday, May 10th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price 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.