Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc. Boosts Stake in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc. grew its holdings in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) by 22.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 374,933 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 69,800 shares during the period. Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc. owned about 0.26% of A. O. Smith worth $25,574,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in AOS. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 22.8% in the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 30,017 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,696,000 after acquiring an additional 5,572 shares in the last quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC purchased a new position in shares of A. O. Smith in the third quarter valued at about $37,000. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 7.2% in the third quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,780 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $429,000 after acquiring an additional 322 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd lifted its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 4.4% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 13,228 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,188,000 after acquiring an additional 554 shares in the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 17.7% in the third quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 3,607 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $324,000 after acquiring an additional 543 shares in the last quarter. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

A. O. Smith Trading Up 0.3 %

NYSE AOS traded up $0.22 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $66.22. 1,719,948 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,574,804. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $69.10 and a 200 day moving average price of $75.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. A. O. Smith Co. has a 52 week low of $64.55 and a 52 week high of $92.44. The stock has a market cap of $9.60 billion, a PE ratio of 18.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.17.

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%. Analysts forecast that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.05%. A. O. Smith's dividend payout ratio is 37.47%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AOS has been the topic of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded A. O. Smith from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $81.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on A. O. Smith from $90.00 to $84.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Saturday, February 1st. Finally, DA Davidson cut A. O. Smith from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $80.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $80.86.

Insider Activity

In related news, 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 value of $27,507.35. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,749 shares in the company, valued at approximately $180,471.85. The trade was a 13.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 1,026 shares of the business'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 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 $583,562.85. The trade was a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.70% of the company's stock.

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.