UniSuper Management Pty Ltd Boosts Stock Holdings in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

UniSuper Management Pty Ltd lifted its stake in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) by 20.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 24,809 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 4,160 shares during the quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd's holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $1,692,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in A. O. Smith by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 14,117,943 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $962,985,000 after purchasing an additional 148,432 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,721,581 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $693,630,000 after buying an additional 299,766 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,586,905 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $321,348,000 after buying an additional 52,593 shares during the period. KBC Group NV increased its position in A. O. Smith by 40.1% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,648,825 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $112,467,000 after buying an additional 471,990 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. raised its stake in A. O. Smith by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 1,402,497 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $95,664,000 after buying an additional 35,355 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.10% of the company's stock.

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A. O. Smith Stock Down 2.7 %

Shares of AOS stock traded down $1.74 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 company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The business has a 50 day moving average of $66.60 and a 200 day moving average of $72.47. A. O. Smith Co. has a 12-month low of $61.59 and a 12-month high of $92.45. The stock has a market cap of $8.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.26.

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 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 expect that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.76 EPS for the current year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on AOS. StockNews.com upgraded A. O. Smith from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer decreased their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $88.00 to $84.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Saturday, March 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $90.00 to $84.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Citigroup lowered their target price 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. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, A. O. Smith has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $80.86.

Insider Buying and Selling at A. O. Smith

In related news, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 1,026 shares of A. O. Smith stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the vice president now owns 8,889 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $583,562.85. The trade was a 10.35 % decrease in their position. 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 stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.65, for a total value of $27,507.35. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,749 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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. Corporate insiders own 0.76% of the company's stock.

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.