Vest Financial LLC Acquires 50,825 Shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Vest Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) by 6.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 820,150 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 50,825 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC owned approximately 0.57% of A. O. Smith worth $53,605,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its stake in A. O. Smith by 4,463.8% during the first quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 5,796 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $379,000 after buying an additional 5,669 shares during the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 6,566.7% in the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 2,400 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $157,000 after purchasing an additional 2,364 shares in the last quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP purchased a new stake in A. O. Smith during the 1st quarter valued at about $57,310,000. Czech National Bank raised its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 5.0% during the 1st quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 27,123 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,773,000 after buying an additional 1,297 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Financial Strategies LLC raised its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 2.7% in the first quarter. Legacy Financial Strategies LLC now owns 39,896 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,608,000 after acquiring an additional 1,048 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.10% of the company's stock.

A. O. Smith Stock Up 0.8%

NYSE:AOS traded up $0.50 on Monday, reaching $64.84. The stock had a trading volume of 1,331,832 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,250,475. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. A. O. Smith Co. has a 12-month low of $58.83 and a 12-month high of $92.45. The company has a 50-day moving average of $65.52 and a 200 day moving average of $67.68. The stock has a market cap of $9.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.21.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The industrial products company reported $0.95 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $963.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $950.56 million. A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 28.87% and a net margin of 13.98%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.00 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.76 earnings per share for the current year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th were issued a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.10%. A. O. Smith's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.99%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AOS has been the subject of a number of research reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Saturday, May 24th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on A. O. Smith from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $69.00 to $65.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target 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 company. According to MarketBeat.com, A. O. Smith currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $76.17.

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.