TFG Advisers LLC Makes New Investment in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

TFG Advisers LLC bought a new stake in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 2,408 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $216,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in AOS. Select Equity Group L.P. increased its position in A. O. Smith by 11.6% during the 2nd quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. now owns 3,852,467 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $315,055,000 after purchasing an additional 400,304 shares during the period. Earnest Partners LLC grew its holdings in A. O. Smith by 3.7% during the second quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 2,046,798 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $167,387,000 after acquiring an additional 72,856 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. grew its holdings in A. O. Smith by 5.0% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 1,393,519 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $113,962,000 after acquiring an additional 66,933 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in A. O. Smith by 1.7% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,194,731 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $97,708,000 after acquiring an additional 19,890 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in A. O. Smith by 2.6% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,075,913 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $87,988,000 after acquiring an additional 26,794 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at A. O. Smith

In other A. O. Smith 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 value of $1,191,105.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,399 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $194,319. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.70% of the company’s stock.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

AOS stock opened at $77.28 on Thursday. 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 stock’s 50 day moving average price is $82.64 and its 200 day moving average price is $83.52. The firm has a market cap of $11.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.92, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.15. A. O. Smith Co. has a 1 year low of $65.08 and a 1 year high of $92.44.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The industrial products company reported $0.82 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.82. A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 31.04% and a net margin of 14.67%. The business had revenue of $957.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $960.36 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.90 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 31st will be given a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.76%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 31st. This is a positive change from A. O. Smith’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. A. O. Smith’s payout ratio is currently 32.99%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on AOS shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. UBS Group upgraded shares of A. O. Smith from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $75.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Wednesday. DA Davidson lowered A. O. Smith from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $80.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $81.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on A. O. Smith from $92.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $86.71.

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.