MQS Management LLC Makes New Investment in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

MQS Management LLC purchased a new stake in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 4,875 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $399,000.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Isthmus Partners LLC bought a new position in A. O. Smith in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in A. O. Smith by 157.2% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 463 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 283 shares during the period. ORG Partners LLC raised its stake in A. O. Smith by 665.0% during the 1st quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 612 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 532 shares during the last quarter. Twin Tree Management LP boosted its holdings in A. O. Smith by 188.9% in the 1st quarter. Twin Tree Management LP now owns 737 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $66,000 after purchasing an additional 1,566 shares during the period. Finally, Fidelis Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in A. O. Smith in the 1st quarter worth $109,000. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at A. O. Smith

In other news, SVP Samuel M. Carver sold 14,705 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.00, for a total transaction of $1,191,105.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,399 shares in the company, valued at approximately $194,319. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 2.70% of the company’s stock.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

A. O. Smith stock opened at $84.29 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $82.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $83.98. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The stock has a market cap of $12.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.15. A. O. Smith Co. has a 12-month low of $64.14 and a 12-month high of $92.44.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The industrial products company reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.07 by ($0.01). A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 31.04% and a net margin of 14.67%. The business had revenue of $1.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.01 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that A. O. Smith Co. will post 4.07 earnings per share for the current year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 31st were issued a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 31st. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.52%. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio is presently 33.16%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 13th. Stifel Nicolaus raised A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $97.00 to $98.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on A. O. Smith from $73.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, July 8th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on A. O. Smith from $92.00 to $90.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $89.67.

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.