USA Financial Formulas Sells 202 Shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

USA Financial Formulas lessened its stake in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 6.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,102 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 202 shares during the quarter. USA Financial Formulas’ holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $279,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in AOS. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. acquired a new position in A. O. Smith in the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Isthmus Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Quarry LP boosted its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 214.9% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 359 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 245 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 157.2% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 463 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 283 shares during the period. Finally, ORG Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 665.0% during the first quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 612 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $55,000 after buying an additional 532 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on AOS shares. UBS Group increased their price target on A. O. Smith from $73.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, July 8th. Stifel Nicolaus raised A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $97.00 to $98.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on A. O. Smith from $92.00 to $90.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, StockNews.com raised A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $89.67.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AOS opened at $86.27 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $12.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. A. O. Smith Co. has a 1-year low of $65.08 and a 1-year high of $92.44. The business’s 50 day moving average is $82.76 and its 200-day moving average is $84.07.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 31.04% and a net margin of 14.67%. The company had revenue of $1.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.01 EPS. A. O. Smith’s revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that A. O. Smith Co. will post 4.07 earnings per share for the current year.

A. O. Smith Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 31st will be issued a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 31st. This is an increase from A. O. Smith’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.99%.

Insider Buying and Selling 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,399 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $194,319. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 2.70% of the company’s stock.

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.