A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) Shares Acquired by American National Bank & Trust

American National Bank & Trust boosted its stake in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 19,195 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 543 shares during the period. American National Bank & Trust’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $1,724,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AOS. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. bought a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Isthmus Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Quarry LP grew its stake in A. O. Smith by 214.9% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 359 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in A. O. Smith by 157.2% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 463 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 283 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ORG Partners LLC raised its stake in A. O. Smith by 665.0% during the first quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 612 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 532 shares in the last quarter. 76.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Samuel M. Carver sold 14,705 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.00, for a total value of $1,191,105.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,399 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $194,319. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 2.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on AOS. UBS Group lifted their target price on A. O. Smith from $73.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, July 8th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of A. O. Smith from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $92.00 to $90.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upgraded shares of A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $97.00 to $98.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $89.67.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AOS opened at $88.03 on Thursday. A. O. Smith Co. has a 1-year low of $64.86 and a 1-year high of $92.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 1.70 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $82.38 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $84.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.91 billion, a PE ratio of 22.81, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.15.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The industrial products company reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.07 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $1.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1 billion. A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 31.04% and a net margin of 14.67%. The firm’s revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.01 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that A. O. Smith Co. will post 4.07 EPS for the current year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 31st were issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 31st. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.45%. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.16%.

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.