Townsquare Capital LLC Acquires Shares of 9,898 A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Townsquare Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 9,898 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $675,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in AOS. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in A. O. Smith during the third quarter worth about $1,726,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,231,084 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $83,972,000 after purchasing an additional 12,305 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. grew its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 7.1% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 27,825 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,898,000 after purchasing an additional 1,834 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC increased its stake in A. O. Smith by 124.5% during the 4th quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 6,694 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $457,000 after purchasing an additional 3,712 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in A. O. Smith during the 4th quarter worth approximately $7,015,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.10% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at A. O. Smith

In other news, SVP Douglas Samuel Karge sold 419 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.65, for a total transaction 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. This trade represents a 13.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, 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 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.76% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on AOS. StockNews.com upgraded shares of A. O. Smith from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup lowered their target price on A. O. Smith from $69.00 to $65.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. UBS Group cut their price target on A. O. Smith from $80.00 to $74.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on A. O. Smith from $84.00 to $75.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Thursday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, A. O. Smith has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $76.50.

A. O. Smith Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of A. O. Smith stock traded down $0.50 on Friday, reaching $64.80. 230,518 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,467,357. The company has a market capitalization of $9.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.85, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.26. 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 $92.44. The company has a 50-day moving average of $65.32 and a 200 day moving average of $69.95.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.76 earnings per share for the current year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be given a dividend of $0.34 per share. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.10%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. A. O. Smith's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.47%.

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.