Seizert Capital Partners LLC Has $7.56 Million Position in A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS)

Key Points

• Seizert Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in A. O. Smith Corporation by 18.3%, acquiring a total of 17,924 shares during the first quarter, bringing its total ownership to 115,628 shares valued at approximately $7.56 million.
• A. O. Smith reported earnings of $1.07 per share for the last quarter, surpassing analysts' estimates by $0.10 and showing a net margin of 13.68% despite a revenue decline of 1.3% year-over-year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.34 per share, with an ex-dividend date of July 31st, representing an annual yield of 1.90% and a payout ratio of 37.88%.

Seizert Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) by 18.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 115,628 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 17,924 shares during the quarter. Seizert Capital Partners LLC owned approximately 0.08% of A. O. Smith worth $7,557,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. TCTC Holdings LLC increased its position in A. O. Smith by 69.9% in the 1st quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 491 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 202 shares during the period. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new position in A. O. Smith in the 4th quarter worth approximately $66,000. Intact Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in A. O. Smith in the 1st quarter worth approximately $72,000. Private Trust Co. NA increased its position in A. O. Smith by 22.1% in the 1st quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 1,181 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $77,000 after buying an additional 214 shares during the period. Finally, Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan bought a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $84,000. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other A. O. Smith news, Chairman Kevin J. Wheeler sold 22,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.26, for a total value of $1,581,972.00. Following the transaction, the chairman owned 100,647 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,172,105.22. This represents a 18.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.76% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

A. O. Smith Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of AOS traded down $0.38 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $70.41. 1,262,954 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,684,340. The company has a current ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. A. O. Smith Corporation has a 1-year low of $58.83 and a 1-year high of $92.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.87 billion, a PE ratio of 19.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.22. The business has a fifty day moving average of $67.06 and a 200-day moving average of $66.83.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The industrial products company reported $1.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.10. A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 28.42% and a net margin of 13.68%. The business had revenue of $1.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $997.89 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.06 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.76 EPS for the current year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.34 per share. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 31st. A. O. Smith's dividend payout ratio is 37.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on AOS. UBS Group boosted their price objective on A. O. Smith from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on A. O. Smith from $76.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Citigroup lowered their price target on 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. Oppenheimer upped their price target on A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on A. O. Smith from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 21st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $77.43.

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.