A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) Shares Sold by Mutual of America Capital Management LLC

Mutual of America Capital Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 5.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 16,605 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 995 shares during the period. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $1,369,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AOS. Artemis Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the 3rd quarter valued at about $37,000. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in A. O. Smith by 628.0% during the third quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 597 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 515 shares during the period. Addison Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in A. O. Smith by 36.1% in the 3rd quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 712 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares during the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA grew its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 393.1% in the 3rd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 858 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 684 shares during the period. Finally, Covestor Ltd raised its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 39.2% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,203 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $79,000 after buying an additional 339 shares during the period. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on A. O. Smith from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. StockNews.com downgraded A. O. Smith from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $85.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $88.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Ajita G. Rajendra sold 24,669 shares of A. O. Smith stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.02, for a total value of $2,048,020.38. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 56,951 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,728,072.02. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, Director Ajita G. Rajendra sold 60,258 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.51, for a total value of $5,092,403.58. Following the transaction, the director now owns 56,951 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,812,929.01. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Ajita G. Rajendra sold 24,669 shares of A. O. Smith stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.02, for a total value of $2,048,020.38. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 56,951 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,728,072.02. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 95,631 shares of company stock worth $8,042,535 in the last quarter. 2.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

A. O. Smith Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:AOS opened at $86.89 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.79 billion, a PE ratio of 23.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.25. A. O. Smith Co. has a 1 year low of $63.88 and a 1 year high of $89.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $85.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $79.53.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.96 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $988.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $985.89 million. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 14.45% and a return on equity of 31.05%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.86 EPS. Analysts predict that A. O. Smith Co. will post 4.1 EPS for the current year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 29th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.47%. A. O. Smith’s payout ratio is 34.59%.

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.