B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Raises Position in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG raised its position in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) by 23.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 23,145 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,400 shares during the quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG's holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $1,579,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in A. O. Smith during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,726,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,231,084 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $83,972,000 after buying an additional 12,305 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 1.5% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,586,905 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $321,348,000 after acquiring an additional 52,593 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. lifted its stake in A. O. Smith by 7.1% in the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 27,825 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,898,000 after acquiring an additional 1,834 shares during the period. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its holdings in A. O. Smith by 124.5% in the fourth quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 6,694 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $457,000 after acquiring an additional 3,712 shares in the last quarter. 76.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Douglas Samuel Karge sold 419 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 owns 2,749 shares in the company, valued at approximately $180,471.85. This represents a 13.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 1,026 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.65, for a total value of $67,356.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 8,889 shares in the company, valued at approximately $583,562.85. This represents a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.76% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on AOS shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of A. O. Smith from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $90.00 to $84.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group lowered their price target 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. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Saturday, March 22nd. Finally, Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $78.00 to $73.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 13th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $80.86.

A. O. Smith Stock Down 2.7 %

Shares of NYSE AOS traded down $1.74 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $61.92. The stock had a trading volume of 1,853,079 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,095,660. The business's 50 day moving average is $66.60 and its 200-day moving average is $72.47. A. O. Smith Co. has a 52 week low of $61.59 and a 52 week high of $92.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The company has a market cap of $8.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.06, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.26.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 13.98% and a return on equity of 28.87%. As a group, analysts predict that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.76 EPS for the current year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st were paid a $0.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.20%. A. O. Smith's dividend payout ratio is presently 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.