Retirement Systems of Alabama Has $2.36 Million Position in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Retirement Systems of Alabama trimmed its position in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 1.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 26,320 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 324 shares during the quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $2,364,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in AOS. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its position in A. O. Smith by 7.2% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,007 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $164,000 after buying an additional 134 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 19.8% during the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 812 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $73,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 12.5% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,227 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $110,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC increased its holdings in A. O. Smith by 5.0% in the third quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC now owns 2,989 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $269,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period. Finally, OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in A. O. Smith by 5.1% in the third quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,240 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $291,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the period. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

A. O. Smith Trading Up 0.4 %

AOS opened at $68.72 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $74.82 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $80.25. The company has a market cap of $9.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.67, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. A. O. Smith Co. has a 1-year low of $68.07 and a 1-year high of $92.44.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The industrial products company reported $0.82 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.82. A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 30.09% and a net margin of 14.41%. The company had revenue of $957.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $960.36 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.90 earnings per share. Analysts predict that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 31st were paid a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.98%. This is a positive change from A. O. Smith’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 31st. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.79%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. StockNews.com lowered A. O. Smith from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. UBS Group upgraded A. O. Smith from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their target price for the company from $75.00 to $80.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. DA Davidson lowered shares of A. O. Smith from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $80.00 price target for the company. in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $85.00 to $78.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $81.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, A. O. Smith presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $83.17.

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.