Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd Acquires Shares of 23,914 A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 23,914 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $1,631,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the 3rd quarter worth about $43,000. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the 3rd quarter worth about $55,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the 4th quarter worth about $60,000. Huntington National Bank increased its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 19.8% during the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 812 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $73,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the period. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the 3rd quarter worth about $82,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.10% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Douglas Samuel Karge sold 419 shares of the 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 $27,507.35. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,749 shares of the company's stock, valued at $180,471.85. This represents a 13.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 1,026 shares of the 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 8,889 shares in the company, valued at $583,562.85. This trade represents a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.70% of the company's stock.

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A. O. Smith Price Performance

A. O. Smith stock traded up $0.49 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $66.43. 1,386,881 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,421,812. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.17. A. O. Smith Co. has a 12 month low of $64.55 and a 12 month high of $92.44. The business's 50-day moving average is $68.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $74.91.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.85 earnings per share 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%. Equities research analysts expect that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st were paid a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.05%. A. O. Smith's dividend payout ratio is 37.47%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of A. O. Smith from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $78.00 to $73.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 13th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $90.00 to $84.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of 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. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $80.86.

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.