MML Investors Services LLC Purchases 460 Shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

MML Investors Services LLC lifted its position in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 9,237 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 460 shares during the quarter. MML Investors Services LLC’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $830,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. purchased a new stake in A. O. Smith during the second quarter worth $25,000. Isthmus Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of A. O. Smith in the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Quarry LP lifted its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 214.9% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 359 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the last quarter. Waldron Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in A. O. Smith during the third quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Wolff Wiese Magana LLC purchased a new position in A. O. Smith in the third quarter valued at about $37,000. 76.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

A. O. Smith Stock Performance

Shares of AOS stock opened at $68.72 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $74.82 and a 200 day moving average of $80.25. A. O. Smith Co. has a 1 year low of $68.07 and a 1 year high of $92.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 1.67 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.16.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The industrial products company reported $0.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.82. The firm had revenue of $957.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $960.36 million. A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 30.09% and a net margin of 14.41%. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.90 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.77 earnings per share for the current year.

A. O. Smith Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 31st were paid a $0.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 31st. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.98%. This is a positive change from A. O. Smith’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio is presently 35.79%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on AOS shares. UBS Group raised shares of A. O. Smith from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their price target for the company from $75.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $81.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. StockNews.com downgraded A. O. Smith from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. DA Davidson cut A. O. Smith from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $80.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Citigroup reduced their target price on A. O. Smith from $85.00 to $78.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, A. O. Smith currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $83.17.

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.