A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) Shares Sold by Kentucky Retirement Systems

Kentucky Retirement Systems lowered its position in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 2.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,102 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 226 shares during the quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $744,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in AOS. Isthmus Partners LLC acquired a new position in A. O. Smith during the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted 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 worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 283 shares during the period. ORG Partners LLC lifted its holdings in A. O. Smith by 665.0% in the first quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 612 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 532 shares during the period. Twin Tree Management LP grew its position in A. O. Smith by 188.9% in the 1st quarter. Twin Tree Management LP now owns 737 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $66,000 after buying an additional 1,566 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fidelis Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the 1st quarter worth about $109,000. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on AOS shares. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $92.00 to $90.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. StockNews.com raised A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. Stifel Nicolaus raised A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $97.00 to $98.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, 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 report on Monday, July 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $89.67.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Samuel M. Carver sold 14,705 shares of A. O. Smith stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.00, for a total transaction of $1,191,105.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,399 shares in the company, valued at $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.

A. O. Smith Stock Down 1.7 %

Shares of A. O. Smith stock opened at $82.89 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. A. O. Smith Co. has a 12-month low of $64.14 and a 12-month high of $92.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.09 billion, a PE ratio of 21.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.15. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $82.27 and its 200-day moving average is $83.97.

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

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 31st were paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 31st. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.16%.

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.