Sone Capital Management LLC Takes $2.71 Million Position in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Sone Capital Management LLC bought a new position in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 39,658 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $2,705,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the 4th quarter worth $66,000. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan bought a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the 4th quarter worth $84,000. Signaturefd LLC increased its holdings 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. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. bought a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the 4th quarter worth $120,000. Finally, Mutual Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the 4th quarter worth $209,000. Institutional investors own 76.10% of the company's stock.

A. O. Smith Stock Performance

NYSE:AOS traded down $0.36 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $67.01. 1,270,452 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,173,079. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $65.85 and its 200-day moving average price is $68.36. A. O. Smith Co. has a one year low of $58.83 and a one year high of $92.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The firm has a market cap of $9.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.28.

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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.05. A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 28.87% and a net margin of 13.98%. The business had revenue of $963.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $950.56 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.00 earnings per share. A. O. Smith's revenue for the quarter was down 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th were issued a dividend of $0.34 per share. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 30th. A. O. Smith's dividend payout ratio is presently 37.99%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on AOS. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on A. O. Smith from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. UBS Group cut their price objective on A. O. Smith from $80.00 to $74.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup cut their price objective on A. O. Smith from $69.00 to $65.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Wall Street Zen raised A. O. Smith from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on A. O. Smith from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Four 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 currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $76.17.

About A. O. Smith

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.