Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Buys 17,732 Shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) by 7.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 251,819 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 17,732 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned about 0.17% of A. O. Smith worth $17,275,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Glenmede Trust Co. NA lifted its holdings in A. O. Smith by 4.3% in the third quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 3,992 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $359,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust lifted its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 5,873 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $401,000 after purchasing an additional 188 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO. lifted its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 9,765 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $877,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 34,838 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,376,000 after buying an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. Finally, M&T Bank Corp grew its position in A. O. Smith by 3.9% during the third quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 6,785 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $609,000 after buying an additional 253 shares during the period. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 1,026 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $583,562.85. This trade represents a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Douglas Samuel Karge sold 419 shares of the business'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 $180,471.85. This represents a 13.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.76% of the company's stock.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

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

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st were issued a $0.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.20%. A. O. Smith's dividend payout ratio is currently 37.47%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on AOS shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Saturday, March 22nd. Oppenheimer decreased their target price on 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 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. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on A. O. Smith from $90.00 to $84.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, StockNews.com raised A. O. Smith from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $80.86.

A. O. Smith 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.