16,810 Shares in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) Acquired by Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. acquired a new stake in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 16,810 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $1,147,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new stake in A. O. Smith in the fourth quarter valued at $237,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 14,117,943 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $962,985,000 after buying an additional 148,432 shares during the period. Stevens Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the fourth quarter worth about $214,000. LPL Financial LLC grew its holdings in A. O. Smith by 7.8% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 74,433 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $5,077,000 after acquiring an additional 5,390 shares during the period. Finally, KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new position in A. O. Smith during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,578,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.10% of the company's stock.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

Shares of A. O. Smith stock traded down $0.28 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $65.33. 1,619,552 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,082,838. The business has a fifty day moving average of $67.16 and a two-hundred day moving average of $72.82. 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 company has a market capitalization of $9.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.18. A. O. Smith Co. has a 1 year low of $64.55 and a 1 year high of $92.45.

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

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st were paid a dividend of $0.34 per share. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.08%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 31st. A. O. Smith's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.47%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of A. O. Smith from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Saturday, March 22nd. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $80.00 to $74.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $78.00 to $73.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $90.00 to $84.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $80.86.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 1,026 shares of the company'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 completion of 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, 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 transaction of $27,507.35. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,749 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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 currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.