Renaissance Technologies LLC Has $16.75 Million Holdings in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its stake in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) by 460.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 245,500 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 201,700 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned 0.17% of A. O. Smith worth $16,746,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of Nova Scotia grew its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 269.9% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 56,921 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $3,883,000 after buying an additional 41,533 shares in the last quarter. FIL Ltd raised its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 491,073 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $33,496,000 after purchasing an additional 1,855 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 995,043 shares during the period. Aristides Capital LLC bought a new stake in A. O. Smith in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $308,000. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 13.5% in the fourth quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 384,575 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $26,232,000 after buying an additional 45,643 shares during the last quarter. 76.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 1,026 shares of the firm's 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 $67,356.90. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 8,889 shares of the company's stock, valued at $583,562.85. This trade represents a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Douglas Samuel Karge sold 419 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 $180,471.85. The trade was a 13.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.76% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on AOS. UBS Group cut their price target on A. O. Smith from $80.00 to $74.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer cut 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 report on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on A. O. Smith from $84.00 to $75.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. StockNews.com raised A. O. Smith from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $76.50.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

Shares of AOS traded up $0.23 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $63.09. The company had a trading volume of 1,376,024 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,123,030. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $65.50 and its 200 day simple moving average is $70.38. The company has a market capitalization of $9.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.55. 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 announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.90 by ($0.05). A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 28.87% and a net margin of 13.98%. Analysts expect that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.76 EPS for the current year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be given a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.16%. A. O. Smith's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.47%.

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.