Fisher Asset Management LLC Trims Stake in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Fisher Asset Management LLC lessened its position in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) by 3.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,215,951 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 86,708 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC owned 1.53% of A. O. Smith worth $151,150,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in A. O. Smith by 6.4% in the 4th quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 11,322 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $772,000 after acquiring an additional 684 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in A. O. Smith during the 4th quarter valued at about $2,579,000. Harfst & Associates Inc. raised its holdings in A. O. Smith by 11.4% in the fourth quarter. Harfst & Associates Inc. now owns 32,265 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,201,000 after buying an additional 3,291 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in A. O. Smith by 7.0% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,143,241 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $77,980,000 after buying an additional 74,418 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in A. O. Smith in the fourth quarter worth about $1,631,000. Institutional investors own 76.10% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at A. O. Smith

In related news, SVP Douglas Samuel Karge sold 419 shares of the company'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 $27,507.35. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,749 shares of the company's stock, valued at $180,471.85. This represents a 13.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 1,026 shares of the company'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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 8,889 shares in the company, valued at approximately $583,562.85. The trade was a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.76% of the company's stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of A. O. Smith from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Oppenheimer cut 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 report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of 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. Finally, Citigroup cut their target price 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 investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $80.86.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

Shares of AOS traded up $0.91 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $66.52. The stock had a trading volume of 1,473,053 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,433,568. The firm has a market cap of $9.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.32, a PEG 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 $92.44. The business has a fifty day moving average of $67.99 and a 200 day moving average of $74.65. 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 (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.90 by ($0.05). A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 28.87% and a net margin of 13.98%. Equities analysts predict that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.76 EPS for the current year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st were issued a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.04%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 31st. A. O. Smith's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.47%.

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.