By otakuyassine3@gmail.com 
Lecap Asset Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS – Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 23,259 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,586,000.
A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of AOS. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 28.8% during the fourth quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 6,726 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $459,000 after buying an additional 1,502 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its stake in A. O. Smith by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 292,101 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $19,924,000 after acquiring an additional 5,366 shares during the last quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management grew its holdings in A. O. Smith by 34.0% during the 4th quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 4,949 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $338,000 after acquiring an additional 1,255 shares in the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp increased its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 777,254 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $53,016,000 after purchasing an additional 21,503 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Willis Investment Counsel raised its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Willis Investment Counsel now owns 204,470 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $13,947,000 after purchasing an additional 518 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.10% of the company’s stock.
A. O. Smith Price Performance
Shares of NYSE AOS opened at $65.50 on Friday. A. O. Smith Co. has a 1-year low of $64.94 and a 1-year high of $92.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.50 billion, a PE ratio of 18.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.17. 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 business’s fifty day moving average price is $70.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $76.73.
A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.90 by ($0.05). A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 28.87% and a net margin of 13.98%. On average, research analysts expect that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.76 EPS for the current year.
A. O. Smith Announces Dividend
The firm 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 dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.08%. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.47%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
AOS has been the subject of a number of research reports. StockNews.com upgraded A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup decreased their target price on A. O. Smith from $78.00 to $73.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $81.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $88.00 to $84.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $80.00 to $74.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $80.86.
View Our Latest Analysis on A. O. Smith
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.
Featured Articles
Receive News & Ratings for A. O. Smith Daily – Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts’ ratings for A. O. Smith and related companies with MarketBeat.com’s FREE daily email newsletter.