A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) Shares Sold by Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc.

Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 36.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 5,080 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 2,959 shares during the period. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $454,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Addison Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 28.7% during the fourth quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 916 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $76,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC raised its position in A. O. Smith by 25.5% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 961 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $79,000 after buying an additional 195 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 52.4% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,506 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $122,000 after acquiring an additional 518 shares during the period. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 31.4% in the fourth quarter. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,597 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $132,000 after acquiring an additional 382 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the fourth quarter worth about $147,000. 76.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

A. O. Smith Trading Up 0.2 %

NYSE:AOS opened at $81.05 on Thursday. A. O. Smith Co. has a 52-week low of $64.14 and a 52-week high of $89.96. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $83.57 and a 200-day simple moving average of $83.36. The company has a market capitalization of $11.89 billion, a PE ratio of 21.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.15.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $1.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.99 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $978.80 million during 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 quarterly revenue was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.94 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that A. O. Smith Co. will post 4.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th were given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.58%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 29th. A. O. Smith’s payout ratio is 33.16%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AOS has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on A. O. Smith from $91.00 to $90.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 26th. Citigroup increased their price objective on A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Oppenheimer restated a “market perform” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of A. O. Smith from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $86.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $90.67.

About A. O. Smith

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.