21,416 Shares in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) Acquired by Allianz SE

Allianz SE purchased a new position in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 21,416 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $1,457,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of A. O. Smith in the third quarter worth $43,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the 4th quarter valued at about $60,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $66,000. Signaturefd LLC raised its position in A. O. Smith by 40.0% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Kieckhefer Group LLC acquired a new stake in A. O. Smith in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $123,000. 76.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

A. O. Smith Trading Down 3.0 %

Shares of AOS stock traded down $1.98 on Thursday, reaching $64.14. 500,499 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,409,699. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $66.92 and a 200 day moving average price of $72.67. The stock has a market cap of $9.23 billion, a PE ratio of 17.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.26. A. O. Smith Co. has a one year low of $63.02 and a one year high of $92.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 0.96.

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A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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%. Equities research analysts forecast that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Investors of record on Friday, January 31st were paid a dividend of $0.34 per share. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.12%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 31st. A. O. Smith's payout ratio is 37.47%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AOS has been the topic of several analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of A. O. Smith from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group reduced their price target on 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 reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Saturday, March 22nd. Oppenheimer reduced their target price on A. O. Smith from $88.00 to $84.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on A. O. Smith from $90.00 to $84.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, A. O. Smith presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $80.86.

About A. O. Smith

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.