Kentucky Retirement Systems Sells 745 Shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Kentucky Retirement Systems lessened its holdings in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 8.2% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 8,357 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 745 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $751,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. bought a new position in A. O. Smith in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Isthmus Partners LLC acquired a new stake in A. O. Smith during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Quarry LP increased its position in A. O. Smith by 214.9% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 359 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the period. Waldron Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in A. O. Smith during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Wolff Wiese Magana LLC acquired a new stake in A. O. Smith during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Institutional investors own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

A. O. Smith Stock Performance

NYSE AOS opened at $71.42 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $80.33 and a 200 day simple moving average of $82.06. A. O. Smith Co. has a 12-month low of $71.04 and a 12-month high of $92.44. The company has a current ratio of 1.67, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The company has a market cap of $10.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.79, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 1.17.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The industrial products company reported $0.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting 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 business had revenue of $957.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $960.36 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.90 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 31st were paid a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 31st. This is a boost from A. O. Smith’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.90%. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.79%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on AOS. StockNews.com raised shares of A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. UBS Group raised shares of A. O. Smith from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their target price for the company from $75.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Robert W. Baird decreased 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 research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $92.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, DA Davidson downgraded shares of A. O. Smith from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $80.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $86.71.

A. O. Smith Company 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.