Everence Capital Management Inc. Makes New Investment in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Everence Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 3,450 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $235,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AOS. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. purchased a new position in A. O. Smith in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Quarry LP lifted its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 214.9% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 359 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 245 shares in the last quarter. Waldron Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC purchased a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the third quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in A. O. Smith in the 3rd quarter valued at $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

A. O. Smith Stock Performance

Shares of A. O. Smith stock opened at $68.68 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $71.99 and its 200-day simple moving average is $78.84. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The firm has a market cap of $9.96 billion, a PE ratio of 18.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.18. A. O. Smith Co. has a 52 week low of $67.17 and a 52 week high of $92.44.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The industrial products company reported $0.82 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.82. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 14.41% and a return on equity of 30.09%. The firm had revenue of $957.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $960.36 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.90 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AOS has been the topic of several recent research reports. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $81.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on A. O. Smith from $91.00 to $90.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. DA Davidson lowered A. O. Smith from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $80.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on A. O. Smith from $85.00 to $78.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, A. O. Smith presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $83.17.

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.