IFM Investors Pty Ltd Has $1.76 Million Position in A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS)

IFM Investors Pty Ltd increased its position in shares of A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) by 16.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 26,861 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 3,808 shares during the period. IFM Investors Pty Ltd's holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $1,756,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of AOS. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of A. O. Smith in the 4th quarter valued at $66,000. Intact Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in A. O. Smith during the 1st quarter valued at about $72,000. Private Trust Co. NA raised its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 22.1% in the first quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 1,181 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $77,000 after acquiring an additional 214 shares during the last quarter. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan bought a new position in shares of A. O. Smith in the fourth quarter worth about $84,000. Finally, Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 40.0% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,299 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $89,000 after acquiring an additional 371 shares during the last quarter. 76.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

A. O. Smith Stock Performance

Shares of AOS traded down $1.36 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $69.11. The company had a trading volume of 1,076,945 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,303,806. The firm has a market cap of $9.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.30, a PEG ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.20. The business has a fifty day moving average of $66.50 and a 200-day moving average of $66.62. A. O. Smith Corporation has a 12 month low of $58.83 and a 12 month high of $92.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The industrial products company reported $0.95 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 business had revenue of $963.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $950.56 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.00 earnings per share. A. O. Smith's revenue for the quarter was down 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 31st will be paid 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 yield of 1.97%. A. O. Smith's payout ratio is 37.99%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $70.00 price target for the company. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $69.00 to $65.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Friday, June 27th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $75.29.

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.