Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky Raises Stake in A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS)

Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky boosted its position in A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) by 4,238.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 383,195 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 374,363 shares during the quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky owned approximately 0.27% of A. O. Smith worth $25,046,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in A. O. Smith during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $7,015,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 14.8% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 46,416 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $3,166,000 after purchasing an additional 5,972 shares during the last quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp lifted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 15.1% during the 4th quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp now owns 18,830 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,284,000 after purchasing an additional 2,473 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC boosted its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 40.0% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,299 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $89,000 after purchasing an additional 371 shares in the last quarter. Finally, iA Global Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in A. O. Smith by 174.4% during the 4th quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 26,816 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,829,000 after buying an additional 17,042 shares during the last quarter. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

A. O. Smith Stock Performance

NYSE:AOS traded up $1.75 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $70.82. The company's stock had a trading volume of 905,030 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,316,466. The business's fifty day moving average is $66.62 and its two-hundred day moving average is $66.63. The stock has a market cap of $10.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.78, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 1.61 and a quick ratio of 1.01. A. O. Smith Corporation has a 1 year low of $58.83 and a 1 year high of $92.06.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The industrial products company reported $0.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.05. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 13.74% and a return on equity of 28.39%. The firm had revenue of $963.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $950.56 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.00 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 31st will be given a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 31st. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.92%. A. O. Smith's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.99%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on A. O. Smith from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $69.00 to $65.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $70.00 price target for the company. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Saturday, July 12th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, A. O. Smith presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $75.71.

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.