Tredje AP fonden Lowers Stock Holdings in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Tredje AP fonden cut its stake in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) by 50.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 22,090 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 22,089 shares during the period. Tredje AP fonden's holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $1,507,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AOS. Founders Financial Alliance LLC increased its stake in A. O. Smith by 38.1% during the 4th quarter. Founders Financial Alliance LLC now owns 3,391 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $231,000 after buying an additional 935 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance boosted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 11.5% during the fourth quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 9,353 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $638,000 after purchasing an additional 962 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its position in A. O. Smith by 6.7% during the fourth quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 17,062 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,164,000 after acquiring an additional 1,064 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC raised its position in A. O. Smith by 539.9% during the fourth quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 19,062 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,300,000 after acquiring an additional 16,083 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 23,308 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,590,000 after purchasing an additional 1,018 shares during the period. 76.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on AOS shares. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $78.00 to $73.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 13th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on A. O. Smith from $80.00 to $74.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com upgraded A. O. Smith from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer reduced their price target on A. O. Smith from $88.00 to $84.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $80.86.

Insider Transactions at A. O. Smith

In other news, SVP Douglas Samuel Karge sold 419 shares of the business'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 $27,507.35. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,749 shares in the company, valued at $180,471.85. The trade was a 13.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 1,026 shares of the business'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 $67,356.90. Following the completion of the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.76% of the company's stock.

A. O. Smith Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of AOS stock traded down $0.05 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $67.61. The stock had a trading volume of 1,217,810 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,013,432. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $67.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $73.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.73 billion, a PE ratio of 18.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.18. A. O. Smith Co. has a 52-week low of $64.55 and a 52-week high of $92.45.

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 EPS 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%. Equities analysts expect 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st were given a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.01%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 31st. A. O. Smith's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.47%.

A. O. Smith 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.