Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd Invests $515,000 in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd purchased a new position in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 7,550 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $515,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of AOS. Mutual Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the fourth quarter worth approximately $209,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 10.4% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 8,645 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $590,000 after buying an additional 817 shares during the last quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc. now owns 9,198 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $627,000 after buying an additional 293 shares during the last quarter. Greenleaf Trust lifted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 5,873 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $401,000 after buying an additional 188 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Willis Investment Counsel lifted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Willis Investment Counsel now owns 204,470 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $13,947,000 after buying an additional 518 shares during the last quarter. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

A. O. Smith Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of AOS traded down $0.44 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $64.29. 10,260,955 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,228,324. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. A. O. Smith Co. has a 1-year low of $58.83 and a 1-year high of $92.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.14 billion, a PE ratio of 17.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.28. The business has a fifty day moving average of $65.79 and a 200-day moving average of $68.10.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The industrial products company reported $0.95 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.05. A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 28.87% and a net margin of 13.98%. The firm had revenue of $963.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $950.56 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.00 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.76 EPS for the current year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th were paid a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 30th. A. O. Smith's payout ratio is 37.99%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded A. O. Smith from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on A. O. Smith from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Oppenheimer lowered their price target on A. O. Smith from $88.00 to $84.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Saturday, May 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their target price on A. O. Smith from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $76.17.

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.