AlphaQuest LLC increased its position in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) by 539.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 19,062 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 16,083 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC's holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $1,300,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AOS. KBC Group NV boosted its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 40.1% during the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec boosted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 92.4% during the 3rd quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 761,410 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $68,397,000 after acquiring an additional 365,710 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 4.0% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,721,581 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $693,630,000 after acquiring an additional 299,766 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 24.0% during the fourth quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 769,325 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $52,476,000 after purchasing an additional 149,113 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Regents Gate Capital LLP bought a new position in A. O. Smith during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $9,993,000. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
A. O. Smith Stock Performance
Shares of NYSE AOS traded down $2.07 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $67.54. The company had a trading volume of 1,238,925 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,432,420. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $67.99 and a 200 day simple moving average of $74.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.55. A. O. Smith Co. has a 12 month low of $64.55 and a 12 month high of $92.44.
A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last issued 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 net margin of 13.98% and a return on equity of 28.87%. As a group, analysts anticipate that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.76 earnings per share for the current year.
A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st were issued a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.01%. A. O. Smith's dividend payout ratio is presently 37.47%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on AOS shares. Oppenheimer decreased their target price 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. StockNews.com raised A. O. Smith from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Friday. 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 research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $78.00 to $73.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 13th. 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.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $80.86.
Get Our Latest Stock Report on AOS
Insider Activity
In other news, SVP Douglas Samuel Karge sold 419 shares of the business'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 $27,507.35. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,749 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $180,471.85. The trade was a 13.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, 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 transaction of $67,356.90. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 8,889 shares of the company's stock, valued at $583,562.85. The trade was a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.76% of the company's stock.
About A. O. Smith
(
Free Report)
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.
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