Commerce Bank Sells 1,170 Shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Commerce Bank lessened its holdings in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 1.6% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 72,563 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,170 shares during the quarter. Commerce Bank’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $6,491,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new position in A. O. Smith in the third quarter worth about $769,000. Diversified Trust Co purchased a new stake in A. O. Smith during the 3rd quarter valued at $435,000. Deutsche Bank AG increased its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 411,590 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $27,218,000 after purchasing an additional 5,359 shares in the last quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 12.3% in the 3rd quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 3,969 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $262,000 after purchasing an additional 435 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hudson Bay Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the third quarter valued at $3,968,000. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

NYSE AOS opened at $84.77 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.65. The business’s fifty day moving average is $83.37 and its 200 day moving average is $83.38. The company has a market capitalization of $12.43 billion, a PE ratio of 21.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.15. A. O. Smith Co. has a fifty-two week low of $64.14 and a fifty-two week high of $89.96.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.99 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $978.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $995.91 million. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 14.94% and a return on equity of 30.94%. The firm’s revenue was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.94 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that A. O. Smith Co. will post 4.08 earnings per share for the current year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 31st will be paid a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 31st. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.51%. A. O. Smith’s payout ratio is presently 33.16%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on AOS. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $73.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $86.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Citigroup increased their price target on A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, April 8th. Finally, Oppenheimer reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Thursday, April 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $88.43.

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.