DnB Asset Management AS Raises Holdings in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

DnB Asset Management AS boosted its stake in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 3.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 31,651 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 934 shares during the quarter. DnB Asset Management AS’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $2,159,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Level Four Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC now owns 65,081 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $4,439,000 after acquiring an additional 3,022 shares in the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in A. O. Smith by 20.3% in the 4th quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,368,443 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $93,341,000 after purchasing an additional 231,259 shares during the period. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC purchased a new position in A. O. Smith during the fourth quarter worth approximately $66,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $96,180,000. Finally, AssuredPartners Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in A. O. Smith in the 4th quarter valued at $386,000. 76.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

Shares of AOS stock opened at $65.58 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $67.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $72.71. A. O. Smith Co. has a 12 month low of $64.55 and a 12 month high of $92.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The company has a market capitalization of $9.44 billion, a PE ratio of 18.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.18.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last released its quarterly earnings data 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%. Analysts predict 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Investors of record on Friday, January 31st were given a dividend of $0.34 per share. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 31st. A. O. Smith’s payout ratio is 37.47%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on AOS shares. Oppenheimer reduced their price target on shares of 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. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Saturday, March 22nd. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $80.00 to $74.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $90.00 to $84.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Citigroup decreased 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 note on Monday, January 13th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $80.86.

Insider Activity at A. O. Smith

In other A. O. Smith 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,749 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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 available through this link. Also, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 1,026 shares of the firm’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 $67,356.90. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 8,889 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $583,562.85. This represents a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.76% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.