Lecap Asset Management Ltd. Invests $1.59 Million in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Lecap Asset Management Ltd. bought a new position in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 23,259 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $1,586,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in A. O. Smith by 28.8% during the 4th quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 6,726 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $459,000 after acquiring an additional 1,502 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 292,101 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $19,924,000 after purchasing an additional 5,366 shares in the last quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management increased its holdings in A. O. Smith by 34.0% in the fourth quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 4,949 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $338,000 after buying an additional 1,255 shares during the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp raised its stake in A. O. Smith by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 777,254 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $53,016,000 after buying an additional 21,503 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Willis Investment Counsel lifted its holdings in A. O. Smith by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Willis Investment Counsel now owns 204,470 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $13,947,000 after buying an additional 518 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.10% of the company's stock.

A. O. Smith Stock Performance

Shares of AOS stock traded down $0.11 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $65.62. The stock had a trading volume of 376,600 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,455,089. A. O. Smith Co. has a fifty-two week low of $64.94 and a fifty-two week high of $92.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $69.68 and its 200-day simple moving average is $76.39. The firm has a market cap of $9.51 billion, a PE ratio of 18.07, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.17.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, missing 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%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.77 earnings per share for the current year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be given a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.07%. A. O. Smith's payout ratio is currently 37.47%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on AOS shares. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $78.00 to $73.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $81.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. UBS Group decreased their price objective 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. DA Davidson lowered shares of A. O. Smith from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $80.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $90.00 to $84.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $80.86.

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.