A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) Shares Bought by Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership

Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) by 362.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 270,285 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 211,866 shares during the quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership owned about 0.19% of A. O. Smith worth $18,436,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Ridgewood Investments LLC acquired a new stake in A. O. Smith during the 4th quarter worth approximately $60,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the fourth quarter valued at $66,000. Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in A. O. Smith by 40.0% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,299 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $89,000 after purchasing an additional 371 shares during the period. Kieckhefer Group LLC purchased a new stake in A. O. Smith during the 4th quarter worth about $123,000. Finally, Mutual Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in A. O. Smith in the 4th quarter valued at about $209,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.10% of the company's stock.

A. O. Smith Stock Performance

NYSE:AOS traded up $3.01 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $62.64. 2,579,230 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,111,372. A. O. Smith Co. has a 1-year low of $58.83 and a 1-year high of $92.45. 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 has a market capitalization of $9.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a 50-day moving average of $65.80 and a 200 day moving average of $71.70.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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 return on equity of 28.87% and a net margin of 13.98%. Research analysts anticipate that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.76 EPS for the current year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.34 per share. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.17%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. A. O. Smith's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.47%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other A. O. Smith news, SVP Douglas Samuel Karge sold 419 shares of A. O. Smith 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. The trade was a 13.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 1,026 shares of the 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 $67,356.90. Following 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.76% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on AOS shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Tuesday. Oppenheimer dropped 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 decreased 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. StockNews.com raised A. O. Smith from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research 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 for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Five 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, A. O. Smith presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus 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.