Empowered Funds LLC Purchases 143,103 Shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) by 1,477.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 152,792 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 143,103 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC owned about 0.11% of A. O. Smith worth $10,422,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Huntington National Bank raised its stake in A. O. Smith by 19.8% in the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 812 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 12.5% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,227 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $110,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC raised its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC now owns 2,989 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $269,000 after buying an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,240 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $291,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Glenmede Trust Co. NA lifted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 3,992 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $359,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. 76.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

A. O. Smith Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of A. O. Smith stock traded up $0.79 on Thursday, hitting $66.04. The stock had a trading volume of 1,350,156 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,445,378. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $69.22 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $76.11. A. O. Smith Co. has a one year low of $64.55 and a one year high of $92.44. 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 stock has a market cap of $9.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.19, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.17.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last announced 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.77 EPS for the current year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be issued a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.06%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 31st. A. O. Smith's payout ratio is 37.47%.

Insider Activity

In other A. O. Smith news, SVP Douglas Samuel Karge sold 419 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The stock was 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. This represents a 13.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 1,026 shares of the business'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 sale, the vice president now owns 8,889 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $583,562.85. This represents a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 2.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on AOS shares. Citigroup lowered their price target on 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. UBS Group decreased their price objective on A. O. Smith from $80.00 to $74.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Saturday, February 1st. DA Davidson cut shares of A. O. Smith from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $80.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $81.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Five 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, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $80.86.

A. O. Smith Company 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.