O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Grows Position in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 10.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 21,529 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 2,025 shares during the quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $1,926,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. ORG Partners LLC increased its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 665.0% during the 1st quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 612 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 532 shares during the last quarter. Twin Tree Management LP increased its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 188.9% during the 1st quarter. Twin Tree Management LP now owns 737 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $66,000 after purchasing an additional 1,566 shares during the last quarter. Addison Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 28.7% during the 4th quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 916 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $76,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC increased its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 25.5% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 961 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $79,000 after purchasing an additional 195 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fidelis Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the 1st quarter valued at $109,000. 76.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

A. O. Smith Stock Up 0.4 %

AOS stock opened at $80.76 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.85 billion, a PE ratio of 20.92, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.15. A. O. Smith Co. has a twelve month low of $64.14 and a twelve month high of $92.44. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $83.68 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $83.80.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The industrial products company reported $1.06 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.07 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $1.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1 billion. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 14.67% and a return on equity of 31.22%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.01 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that A. O. Smith Co. will post 4.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.58%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 31st. A. O. Smith’s payout ratio is presently 33.16%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on A. O. Smith from $92.00 to $90.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Stifel Nicolaus raised A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $97.00 to $98.00 in a report on Wednesday. UBS Group lifted their price objective on A. O. Smith from $73.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, July 8th. Oppenheimer reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on A. O. Smith from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, A. O. Smith has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $89.29.

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.