King Luther Capital Management Corp Buys 17,340 Shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

King Luther Capital Management Corp grew its holdings in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 36.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 64,317 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 17,340 shares during the quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $5,260,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in AOS. Isthmus Partners LLC bought a new position in A. O. Smith during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 157.2% during the 2nd 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 during the period. ORG Partners LLC boosted its stake in A. O. Smith by 665.0% in the 1st quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 612 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 532 shares in the last quarter. Twin Tree Management LP grew its position in A. O. Smith by 188.9% in the first 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 during the period. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. acquired a new position in A. O. Smith during the second quarter worth $93,000. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at A. O. Smith

In related news, SVP Samuel M. Carver sold 14,705 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.00, for a total value of $1,191,105.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,399 shares in the company, valued at $194,319. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 2.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

Shares of AOS stock opened at $82.89 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $82.37 and its 200-day moving average is $83.98. A. O. Smith Co. has a 1 year low of $64.14 and a 1 year high of $92.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.47, a PEG ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.15.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last released its 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 net margin of 14.67% and a return on equity of 31.04%. The firm had revenue of $1.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.01 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that A. O. Smith Co. will post 4.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $73.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a 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 shares of A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upgraded A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $97.00 to $98.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, A. O. Smith currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $89.67.

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.