Meeder Asset Management Inc. Cuts Position in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Meeder Asset Management Inc. lowered its stake in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) by 82.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,992 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 41,006 shares during the quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $613,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC grew its stake in A. O. Smith by 192.8% during the 4th quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 90,221 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $6,154,000 after purchasing an additional 59,408 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its holdings in A. O. Smith by 362.7% in the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 270,285 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $18,436,000 after buying an additional 211,866 shares during the period. Allianz SE acquired a new position in A. O. Smith in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,457,000. Allstate Corp purchased a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the 4th quarter valued at $232,000. Finally, DnB Asset Management AS raised its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. DnB Asset Management AS now owns 31,651 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,159,000 after purchasing an additional 934 shares during the last quarter. 76.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In other A. O. Smith news, SVP Douglas Samuel Karge sold 419 shares of A. O. Smith stock in a transaction 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 in the company, valued at $180,471.85. The trade was 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 the SEC website. 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 value of $67,356.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 8,889 shares in the company, valued at approximately $583,562.85. This trade represents a 10.35 % 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 Price Performance

NYSE AOS traded down $1.67 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $61.99. 1,079,404 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,093,022. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The firm's 50-day moving average is $66.77 and its 200-day moving average is $72.61. A. O. Smith Co. has a 52-week low of $61.59 and a 52-week high of $92.45. The company has a market capitalization of $8.92 billion, a PE ratio of 17.10, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.26.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.85 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%. Equities analysts forecast that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Investors of record on Friday, January 31st were given a dividend of $0.34 per share. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.19%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 31st. A. O. Smith's payout ratio is currently 37.47%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on AOS shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Saturday, March 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $90.00 to $84.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer cut their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $88.00 to $84.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $80.00 to $74.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target on A. O. Smith from $78.00 to $73.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note 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 MarketBeat, the company 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.