Oak Thistle LLC Takes Position in A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS)

Oak Thistle LLC bought a new position in shares of A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 25,813 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $1,687,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC purchased a new position in A. O. Smith during the fourth quarter worth approximately $66,000. Intact Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in A. O. Smith during the first quarter worth approximately $72,000. Private Trust Co. NA raised its stake in A. O. Smith by 22.1% during the first quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 1,181 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $77,000 after purchasing an additional 214 shares during the period. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan purchased a new position in A. O. Smith during the fourth quarter worth approximately $84,000. Finally, South Dakota Investment Council purchased a new position in A. O. Smith during the first quarter worth approximately $92,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on AOS shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started 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 target on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Citigroup cut 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 note on Monday, April 14th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $76.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Saturday, July 12th. Five 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, A. O. Smith presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $76.57.

A. O. Smith Trading Down 2.5%

Shares of AOS stock traded down $1.88 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $72.06. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,924,083 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,586,319. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $66.80 and its 200-day simple moving average is $66.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.24 billion, a PE ratio of 20.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.20. A. O. Smith Corporation has a 12-month low of $58.83 and a 12-month high of $92.06. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The industrial products company reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $1.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $997.89 million. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 13.68% and a return on equity of 28.42%. The business's revenue was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.06 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The business 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 $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.89%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 31st. A. O. Smith's payout ratio is currently 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.