Retirement Systems of Alabama Decreases Stock Holdings in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Retirement Systems of Alabama lowered its position in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 2.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 25,789 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 531 shares during the period. Retirement Systems of Alabama’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $1,759,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in AOS. Waldron Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC acquired a new stake in A. O. Smith in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in A. O. Smith in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new stake in A. O. Smith in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Finally, Ridgewood Investments LLC acquired a new stake in A. O. Smith in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $60,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 1,026 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.65, for a total value of $67,356.90. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 8,889 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $583,562.85. This represents a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Douglas Samuel Karge sold 419 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.65, for a total value of $27,507.35. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,749 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $180,471.85. The trade was a 13.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 2.70% of the company’s stock.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AOS opened at $65.97 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.56 billion, a PE ratio of 18.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.17. A. O. Smith Co. has a fifty-two week low of $64.94 and a fifty-two week high of $92.44. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $69.51 and its 200-day simple moving average is $76.26. 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 (NYSE:AOS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.85 earnings per share (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%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be given a $0.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.06%. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.47%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group decreased their price objective 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. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on 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. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Saturday, February 1st. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $81.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on A. O. Smith from $78.00 to $73.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, A. O. Smith presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $80.86.

About A. O. Smith

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.