MQS Management LLC Invests $297,000 in A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS)

MQS Management LLC purchased a new position in A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 4,549 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $297,000.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 9.7% during the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 178,543 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $11,670,000 after purchasing an additional 15,769 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in A. O. Smith by 41.6% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 7,089 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $463,000 after buying an additional 2,084 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in A. O. Smith by 75.8% during the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 402,039 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $26,277,000 after buying an additional 173,366 shares in the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 18.3% during the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 8,085 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $528,000 after acquiring an additional 1,251 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 3.3% in the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 5,532 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $363,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on AOS shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Saturday. Robert W. Baird upped 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. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Citigroup lowered their price target 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $70.00 price objective for the company. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $75.29.

A. O. Smith Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of NYSE AOS traded up $0.82 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $68.06. 1,710,962 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,303,717. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $66.53 and a 200-day moving average price of $66.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.67 billion, a PE ratio of 19.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.20. A. O. Smith Corporation has a 12-month low of $58.83 and a 12-month high of $92.45.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last issued its 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. The company had revenue of $963.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $950.56 million. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 13.74% and a return on equity of 28.39%. A. O. Smith's quarterly revenue was down 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.00 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.76 EPS for the current year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 31st will be issued a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 31st. A. O. Smith's dividend payout ratio is presently 37.99%.

A. O. Smith 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.