JPMorgan Chase & Co. Sells 104,360 Shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

JPMorgan Chase & Co. lessened its stake in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) by 14.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 630,633 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 104,360 shares during the quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned about 0.43% of A. O. Smith worth $43,015,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Ridgewood Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the 4th quarter worth approximately $60,000. 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 purchasing an additional 371 shares in the last quarter. Kieckhefer Group LLC bought a new stake in A. O. Smith during the fourth quarter worth $123,000. Mutual Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the 4th quarter valued at $209,000. Finally, Stevens Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of A. O. Smith in the 4th quarter valued at $214,000. Institutional investors own 76.10% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other A. O. Smith news, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 1,026 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 8,889 shares in the company, valued at approximately $583,562.85. This trade represents a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed 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 transaction of $27,507.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,749 shares in the company, valued at $180,471.85. This trade represents a 13.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.76% of the stock is owned by insiders.

A. O. Smith Trading Up 2.5 %

AOS traded up $1.59 during trading on Friday, reaching $64.46. 1,588,907 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,117,886. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. A. O. Smith Co. has a one year low of $58.83 and a one year high of $92.45. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $65.70 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $71.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.28 billion, a PE ratio of 17.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.26.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 28.87% and a net margin of 13.98%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be given a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.11%. A. O. Smith's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.47%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AOS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on A. O. Smith from $90.00 to $84.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com raised shares of A. O. Smith from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Tuesday. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of 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 cut their target price on shares of 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. Five research 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 an average price target 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.