Vest Financial LLC Buys 45,680 Shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Vest Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 9.8% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 512,964 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 45,680 shares during the quarter. Vest Financial LLC owned about 0.35% of A. O. Smith worth $41,950,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Isthmus Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 157.2% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 463 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 283 shares during the period. ORG Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 665.0% in 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 during the last quarter. Twin Tree Management LP increased its position 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 during the period. Finally, Fidelis Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in A. O. Smith during the 1st quarter valued at $109,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

A. O. Smith Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of AOS opened at $78.46 on Thursday. A. O. Smith Co. has a 12 month low of $64.14 and a 12 month high of $92.44. The stock has a market cap of $11.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $82.41 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $84.03. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last issued 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). The firm had revenue of $1.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1 billion. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 14.67% and a return on equity of 31.04%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.01 EPS. Equities analysts predict that A. O. Smith Co. will post 4.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The company 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 31st. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.16%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AOS has been the topic of several research analyst reports. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $73.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, July 8th. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on A. O. Smith from $92.00 to $90.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Stifel Nicolaus raised A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $97.00 to $98.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, StockNews.com raised A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the 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 Transactions at A. O. Smith

In related news, SVP Samuel M. Carver sold 14,705 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.00, for a total transaction 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 2.70% of the stock is owned by company 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.