Natixis Advisors LLC Has $13.70 Million Holdings in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Natixis Advisors LLC lowered its stake in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) by 7.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 200,876 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 15,473 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC owned 0.14% of A. O. Smith worth $13,702,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AOS. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in A. O. Smith during the 3rd quarter worth $43,000. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of A. O. Smith in the 3rd quarter valued at $55,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of A. O. Smith in the 4th quarter valued at $60,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in A. O. Smith in the 3rd quarter valued at $82,000. Finally, Kieckhefer Group LLC bought a new stake in A. O. Smith in the 4th quarter valued at $123,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.10% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at A. O. Smith

In related news, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 1,026 shares of the company's 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 8,889 shares in the company, valued at approximately $583,562.85. This represents a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Douglas Samuel Karge sold 419 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.65, for a total transaction of $27,507.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,749 shares in the company, valued at approximately $180,471.85. This trade represents a 13.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.76% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $80.00 to $74.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup cut 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 research report on Monday, January 13th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target 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. StockNews.com raised shares of A. O. Smith from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $80.86.

A. O. Smith Stock Performance

Shares of AOS stock traded down $0.24 on Friday, reaching $66.47. The stock had a trading volume of 4,061,295 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,026,270. 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 firm's 50-day moving average is $67.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $73.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.18. A. O. Smith Co. has a 12 month low of $64.55 and a 12 month high of $92.45.

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

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Investors 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 yield of 2.05%. A. O. Smith's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.47%.

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.