Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Reduces Position in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. cut its stake in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) by 4.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,215,438 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 61,505 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned 0.82% of A. O. Smith worth $100,201,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in AOS. Addison Advisors LLC raised its holdings in A. O. Smith by 36.1% in the 3rd quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 712 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 189 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in A. O. Smith by 25.5% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 961 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $79,000 after acquiring an additional 195 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd raised its holdings in A. O. Smith by 39.2% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,203 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $79,000 after acquiring an additional 339 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its holdings in A. O. Smith by 52.4% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,506 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $122,000 after acquiring an additional 518 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in A. O. Smith by 31.4% in the 4th quarter. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,597 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $132,000 after acquiring an additional 382 shares in the last quarter. 76.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

AOS stock traded down $0.37 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $86.01. 514,632 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 961,869. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.62 billion, a PE ratio of 22.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.27. A. O. Smith Co. has a 52 week low of $63.88 and a 52 week high of $89.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 1.65 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $86.35 and a 200 day moving average price of $81.24.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.99 by $0.01. A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 30.94% and a net margin of 14.94%. The firm had revenue of $978.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $995.91 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.94 EPS. The business's revenue was up 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that A. O. Smith Co. will post 4.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be given a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 29th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.49%. A. O. Smith's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.16%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AOS has been the subject of several analyst reports. Citigroup lifted their price objective on A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, April 8th. StockNews.com lowered A. O. Smith from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on A. O. Smith from $91.00 to $90.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on A. O. Smith from $86.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Finally, Oppenheimer reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $90.67.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Ajita G. Rajendra sold 60,258 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.51, for a total value of $5,092,403.58. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 56,951 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,812,929.01. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other A. O. Smith news, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 9,890 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.63, for a total transaction of $836,990.70. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 9,455 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $800,176.65. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Ajita G. Rajendra sold 60,258 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.51, for a total value of $5,092,403.58. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 56,951 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,812,929.01. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 94,817 shares of company stock valued at $7,977,415 in the last ninety days. 2.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.