Fox Run Management L.L.C. Lowers Position in A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS

Fox Run Management L.L.C. decreased its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS) by 75.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,044 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 21,534 shares during the quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C.’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $517,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in A. O. Smith in the second quarter worth $1,045,000. Magnetar Financial LLC bought a new stake in A. O. Smith during the second quarter worth about $2,837,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,265,091 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $82,952,000 after purchasing an additional 13,906 shares in the last quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 19.9% during the 3rd quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 273,216 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $20,057,000 after purchasing an additional 45,299 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the 3rd quarter valued at about $750,000. 76.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at A. O. Smith

In related news, SVP Darrell W. Schuh sold 356 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.89, for a total value of $28,440.84. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 3,295 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $263,237.55. This trade represents a 9.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.76% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

A. O. Smith Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AOS opened at $77.92 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $73.30 and a 200-day moving average price of $70.77. The company has a market cap of $10.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.36. A. O. Smith Corporation has a 12 month low of $58.83 and a 12 month high of $81.86.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $0.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $912.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $928.97 million. A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 29.51% and a net margin of 14.26%.A. O. Smith’s quarterly revenue was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.85 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.76 EPS for the current year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Investors of record on Friday, January 30th were issued a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 30th. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.31%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AOS has been the subject of several research reports. Wall Street Zen lowered A. O. Smith from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 14th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $75.00 price objective on shares of A. O. Smith and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Wednesday, December 24th. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $78.00 target price (up from $72.00) on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $69.00 price target on shares of A. O. Smith and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, A. O. Smith has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $77.00.

About A. O. Smith

A. O. Smith Corporation, based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is a leading manufacturer of water heating and water treatment products for residential and commercial applications. Since its founding in 1874, the company has built a reputation for producing reliable, energy-efficient water heaters, boilers and pressure vessels. Its product portfolio encompasses gas, electric, condensing and tankless water heaters, as well as specialty boilers designed to meet a variety of building and industrial needs.

The company operates through two primary segments: North America and Asia.