Intech Investment Management LLC Buys 18,170 Shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Intech Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 35.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 69,688 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 18,170 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $5,699,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Isthmus Partners LLC bought a new stake in A. O. Smith during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake 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 in the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC boosted its stake in A. O. Smith by 665.0% during the first quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 612 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 532 shares in the last quarter. Twin Tree Management LP boosted its stake in A. O. Smith by 188.9% during the first quarter. Twin Tree Management LP now owns 737 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $66,000 after acquiring an additional 1,566 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fidelis Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in A. O. Smith during the first quarter worth about $109,000. Institutional investors own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

A. O. Smith Stock Down 1.7 %

Shares of A. O. Smith stock opened at $82.89 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.70. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $82.27 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $83.97. A. O. Smith Co. has a 52-week low of $64.14 and a 52-week high of $92.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.09 billion, a PE ratio of 21.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.15.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 23rd. The industrial products company reported $1.06 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $1.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.01 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that A. O. Smith Co. will post 4.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 31st. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.54%. A. O. Smith’s payout ratio is 33.16%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AOS has been the topic of several research reports. Stifel Nicolaus raised shares of A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $97.00 to $98.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. UBS Group lifted 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 target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $92.00 to $90.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $89.67.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Samuel M. Carver sold 14,705 shares of the business’s 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,399 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $194,319. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 2.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.