A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) Stake Increased by First Trust Advisors LP

First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 19.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,618,191 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 417,595 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $178,587,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Ridgewood Investments LLC acquired a new stake in A. O. Smith during the 4th quarter worth about $60,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the fourth quarter worth approximately $66,000. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan acquired a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the fourth quarter worth approximately $84,000. Signaturefd LLC grew its position in A. O. Smith by 40.0% during the fourth 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. Finally, Kieckhefer Group LLC acquired a new position in A. O. Smith in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $123,000. 76.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other A. O. Smith news, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 1,026 shares of the firm’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 in the company, valued at $583,562.85. This trade represents a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Douglas Samuel Karge sold 419 shares of the 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $180,471.85. The trade was a 13.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.76% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

A. O. Smith Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of AOS stock opened at $63.09 on Friday. A. O. Smith Co. has a 12 month low of $58.83 and a 12 month high of $92.45. The company has a market cap of $9.08 billion, a PE ratio of 17.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.26. 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 business’s 50 day moving average is $65.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $70.50.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last announced its earnings results 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 predict that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.76 EPS 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 $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 dividend payout ratio is currently 37.47%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AOS has been the subject of a number of research reports. UBS Group decreased 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 note on Friday, January 31st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on A. O. Smith from $84.00 to $75.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. StockNews.com upgraded A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $69.00 to $65.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $76.50.

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.