Intech Investment Management LLC Takes $685,000 Position in A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS

Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 9,334 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $685,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. WealthPLAN Partners LLC lifted its position in A. O. Smith by 1.3% during the third quarter. WealthPLAN Partners LLC now owns 12,080 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $887,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 17.3% during the 3rd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,130 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $83,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC grew its position in A. O. Smith by 37.8% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 613 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in A. O. Smith by 4.5% in the second quarter. Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,972 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $260,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Financial Advocates Investment Management raised its position in A. O. Smith by 2.5% during the second quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 7,040 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $462,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. 76.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other A. O. Smith news, SVP Darrell W. Schuh sold 1,104 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.39, for a total value of $82,126.56. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 2,201 shares in the company, valued at approximately $163,732.39. This trade represents a 33.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AOS has been the subject of a number of research reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Wednesday, December 24th. Wall Street Zen cut A. O. Smith from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 14th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $75.00 target price on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $85.00 price target on shares of A. O. Smith and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $69.00 price target on shares of A. O. Smith and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $77.00.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

Shares of A. O. Smith stock opened at $69.86 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $9.66 billion, a PE ratio of 18.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.33. A. O. Smith Corporation has a 12-month low of $58.83 and a 12-month high of $81.86. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $74.00 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $70.77.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $0.90 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $912.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $928.97 million. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 14.26% and a return on equity of 29.51%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.85 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.76 EPS for the current year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th were given a dividend of $0.36 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 30th. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.31%.

A. O. Smith Company Profile

A. O. Smith Corporation, based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is a leading manufacturer of water heating and water treatment products for residential and commercial applications. Since its founding in 1874, the company has built a reputation for producing reliable, energy-efficient water heaters, boilers and pressure vessels. Its product portfolio encompasses gas, electric, condensing and tankless water heaters, as well as specialty boilers designed to meet a variety of building and industrial needs.

The company operates through two primary segments: North America and Asia.