Tredje AP fonden Sells 22,089 Shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Tredje AP fonden trimmed its stake in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 50.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 22,090 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 22,089 shares during the quarter. Tredje AP fonden’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $1,507,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the third quarter valued at approximately $209,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 4.8% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 286,735 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $25,757,000 after buying an additional 13,010 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 0.7% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 98,594 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $8,857,000 after buying an additional 684 shares during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank lifted its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 19.8% in the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 812 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $73,000 after buying an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Metis Global Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 6.3% in the third quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 6,403 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $575,000 after buying an additional 377 shares during the last quarter. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

A. O. Smith Stock Performance

NYSE:AOS opened at $66.91 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $67.84 and a 200-day moving average price of $73.96. The company has a market cap of $9.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.43, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.55. A. O. Smith Co. has a fifty-two week low of $64.55 and a fifty-two week high of $92.44.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.85 earnings per share 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%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st were issued a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.03%. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.47%.

Insider Transactions at A. O. Smith

In other news, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 1,026 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 8,889 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $583,562.85. The trade was a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Douglas Samuel Karge sold 419 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,749 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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 owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on AOS shares. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on A. O. Smith from $90.00 to $84.00 and set a “buy” 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 note on Friday, January 31st. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Friday, March 7th. 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 note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on 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. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, A. O. Smith currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $80.86.

A. O. Smith Company 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.