Jump Financial LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Jump Financial LLC increased its position in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 2,615.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 69,833 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 67,261 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $4,763,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 14,117,943 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $962,985,000 after acquiring an additional 148,432 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 26.8% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,704,295 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $320,880,000 after purchasing an additional 995,043 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in A. O. Smith by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,698,517 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $251,751,000 after purchasing an additional 111,612 shares during the period. KBC Group NV boosted its position in A. O. Smith by 40.1% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,648,825 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $112,467,000 after purchasing an additional 471,990 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in A. O. Smith in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $96,180,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

A. O. Smith Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE AOS opened at $62.95 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The company has a 50-day moving average of $65.61 and a 200 day moving average of $70.98. A. O. Smith Co. has a 12-month low of $58.83 and a 12-month high of $92.45. The stock has a market cap of $9.06 billion, a PE ratio of 17.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.26.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last posted its quarterly 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, sell-side analysts predict that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be issued a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.16%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.47%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Douglas Samuel Karge sold 419 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,749 shares in the company, valued at approximately $180,471.85. This represents a 13.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 1,026 shares of A. O. Smith 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 8,889 shares in the company, valued at $583,562.85. This represents a 10.35 % 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 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.