Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund Lowers Stock Holdings in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund trimmed its position in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 7.4% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 4,053 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 323 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $363,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of AOS. Raymond James & Associates lifted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 168,182 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $13,865,000 after buying an additional 6,012 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its stake in A. O. Smith by 21.5% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 10,008 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $825,000 after purchasing an additional 1,772 shares in the last quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in A. O. Smith in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $219,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in A. O. Smith by 19.3% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,398 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $280,000 after purchasing an additional 549 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its stake in A. O. Smith by 52.4% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,506 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $122,000 after purchasing an additional 518 shares in the last quarter. 76.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

A. O. Smith Trading Up 0.2 %

NYSE:AOS traded up $0.14 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $84.64. The company had a trading volume of 392,315 shares, compared to its average volume of 954,132. A. O. Smith Co. has a 52 week low of $64.14 and a 52 week high of $92.44. The company has a market capitalization of $12.41 billion, a PE ratio of 21.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 1.70 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $83.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $83.87.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The industrial products company reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.07 by ($0.01). A. O. Smith had a net margin of 14.67% and a return on equity of 31.04%. The business had revenue of $1.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.01 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that A. O. Smith Co. will post 4.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 31st will be given a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 31st. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio is presently 33.16%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on AOS. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, April 8th. UBS Group lifted 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 note on Monday, July 8th. Stifel Nicolaus raised shares of A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $97.00 to $98.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Finally, Oppenheimer reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $89.67.

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.