A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS Shares Purchased by Boston Trust Walden Corp

Key Points

• Boston Trust Walden Corp raised its A. O. Smith stake 13.7% to 1,076,784 shares (0.77% ownership) worth about $72.0 million, while institutional investors own roughly 76.1% of the company.
• A. O. Smith reported quarterly EPS of $0.90, beating estimates of $0.84, though revenue of $912.5M slightly missed expectations; the company posted a 14.26% net margin and 29.51% return on equity.
• The board declared a quarterly dividend of $0.36 ($1.44 annualized, ~2.2% yield) with an ex-dividend date of April 30, and analysts have a MarketBeat consensus rating of "Hold" with a $74.89 target.

Boston Trust Walden Corp increased its stake in shares of A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) by 13.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,076,784 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 130,159 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp owned 0.77% of A. O. Smith worth $72,015,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of AOS. WealthPLAN Partners LLC grew its stake in A. O. Smith by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. WealthPLAN Partners LLC now owns 12,080 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $887,000 after acquiring an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in A. O. Smith by 17.3% during the 3rd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,130 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $83,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC grew its stake in A. O. Smith by 37.8% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 613 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in A. O. Smith by 24.8% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 871 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $64,000 after acquiring an additional 173 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HBK Sorce Advisory LLC grew its stake in A. O. Smith by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 8,077 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $574,000 after acquiring an additional 184 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.10% of the company's stock.

A. O. Smith Stock Performance

A. O. Smith stock opened at $65.02 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $69.84 and a 200-day simple moving average of $69.25. A. O. Smith Corporation has a 1-year low of $62.02 and a 1-year high of $81.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 1.50 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The stock has a market cap of $8.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.35.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $0.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.06. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 14.26% and a return on equity of 29.51%. The business had revenue of $912.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $928.97 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.85 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 4 EPS for the current year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 30th will be issued a $0.36 dividend. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 30th. A. O. Smith's dividend payout ratio is currently 37.31%.

Insider Activity at A. O. Smith

In other news, SVP Darrell W. Schuh sold 1,104 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.39, for a total value of $82,126.56. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 2,201 shares in the company, valued at approximately $163,732.39. This represents a 33.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on AOS shares. Stifel Nicolaus set a $78.00 price objective on shares of A. O. Smith and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Robert W. Baird set a $77.00 price objective on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Friday, January 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $69.00 to $61.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $75.00 price objective on shares of A. O. Smith and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $78.00 to $74.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $74.89.

About A. O. Smith

A. O. Smith Corporation, based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is a leading manufacturer of water heating and water treatment products for residential and commercial applications. Since its founding in 1874, the company has built a reputation for producing reliable, energy-efficient water heaters, boilers and pressure vessels. Its product portfolio encompasses gas, electric, condensing and tankless water heaters, as well as specialty boilers designed to meet a variety of building and industrial needs.

The company operates through two primary segments: North America and Asia.

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