Prudential Financial Inc. Sells 11,538 Shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Prudential Financial Inc. lowered its position in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) by 15.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 64,064 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 11,538 shares during the period. Prudential Financial Inc.'s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $4,370,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AOS. Ridgewood Investments LLC purchased a new position in A. O. Smith during the fourth quarter worth about $60,000. Signaturefd LLC increased its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 40.0% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,299 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $89,000 after acquiring an additional 371 shares during the last quarter. Kieckhefer Group LLC acquired a new position in A. O. Smith during the fourth quarter worth approximately $123,000. Mutual Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in A. O. Smith during the 4th quarter worth approximately $209,000. Finally, Stevens Capital Management LP acquired a new position in A. O. Smith during the 4th quarter worth approximately $214,000. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other A. O. Smith news, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 1,026 shares of A. O. Smith stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.65, for a total transaction of $67,356.90. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 8,889 shares of the company's stock, valued at $583,562.85. The trade was a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Douglas Samuel Karge sold 419 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.65, for a total transaction of $27,507.35. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,749 shares of the company's stock, valued at $180,471.85. This trade represents a 13.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.76% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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A. O. Smith Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AOS traded down $0.93 during trading on Friday, hitting $62.73. The company had a trading volume of 794,286 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,091,397. The company has a market cap of $9.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.33, a PEG 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. The business's 50-day moving average is $66.77 and its 200 day moving average is $72.61. A. O. Smith Co. has a 52 week low of $61.59 and a 52 week high of $92.45.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.90 by ($0.05). A. O. Smith had a net margin of 13.98% and a return on equity of 28.87%. Equities research analysts predict that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st were given a $0.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.17%. A. O. Smith's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.47%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price 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. StockNews.com raised shares of A. O. Smith from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer dropped their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $88.00 to $84.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $80.00 to $74.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price target on A. O. Smith from $78.00 to $73.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, A. O. Smith has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus 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.