Russell Investments Group Ltd. Lowers Position in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. lessened its holdings in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) by 3.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 157,395 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 5,732 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned 0.11% of A. O. Smith worth $10,736,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Ridgewood Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the 4th quarter worth $60,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the 4th quarter valued at $66,000. Signaturefd LLC boosted its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 40.0% during the 4th 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 acquired a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the 4th quarter worth approximately $123,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in A. O. Smith in the fourth quarter worth $201,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.10% of the company's stock.

A. O. Smith Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AOS traded up $0.20 during trading on Thursday, hitting $63.06. The company's stock had a trading volume of 246,817 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,121,352. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 0.96. A. O. Smith Co. has a 12 month low of $58.83 and a 12 month high of $92.45. The firm has a market cap of $9.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a 50-day moving average of $65.61 and a 200-day moving average of $70.98.

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 earnings per share (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%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.76 earnings per share for the current year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be paid a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.16%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. A. O. Smith's payout ratio is currently 37.47%.

Insider Buying and Selling at A. O. Smith

In other A. O. Smith news, 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 sale, the vice president now directly 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 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 company's 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now 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.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on AOS shares. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on A. O. Smith from $88.00 to $84.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on A. O. Smith from $84.00 to $75.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. 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 lowered their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $69.00 to $65.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $76.50.

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.