Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. Has $6.40 Million Stock Position in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. lifted its holdings in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 2,594.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 78,249 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 75,345 shares during the period. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. owned approximately 0.05% of A. O. Smith worth $6,399,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Isthmus Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew 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 buying an additional 283 shares in the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC increased 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 worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 532 shares during the period. Twin Tree Management LP raised 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 acquiring an additional 1,566 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fidelis Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the 1st quarter valued at $109,000. 76.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Samuel M. Carver sold 14,705 shares of A. O. Smith stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.00, for a total transaction of $1,191,105.00. Following the sale, 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 SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 2.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AOS opened at $82.89 on Friday. A. O. Smith Co. has a one year low of $64.14 and a one year high of $92.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 1.70 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The company has a market cap of $12.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.47, a PEG ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.15. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $82.37 and a 200 day simple moving average of $83.98.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The industrial products company reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.07 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $1.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1 billion. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 14.67% and a return on equity of 31.04%. The firm’s revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.01 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that A. O. Smith Co. will post 4.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 31st were issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 31st. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.16%.

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.