Eukles Asset Management Sells 1,195 Shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Eukles Asset Management lessened its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 4.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 28,471 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,195 shares during the quarter. Eukles Asset Management’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $1,942,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Waldron Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in A. O. Smith in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC bought a new position in shares of A. O. Smith in the third quarter worth $37,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of A. O. Smith in the third quarter valued at $43,000. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of A. O. Smith in the third quarter valued at $55,000. Finally, Huntington National Bank raised its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 19.8% during the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 812 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

A. O. Smith Stock Performance

NYSE AOS opened at $65.19 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $69.85 and a 200-day moving average of $76.51. A. O. Smith Co. has a 52-week low of $64.94 and a 52-week high of $92.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.55. The company has a market capitalization of $9.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.17.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.90 by ($0.05). A. O. Smith had a net margin of 13.98% and a return on equity of 28.87%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be issued a $0.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.09%. A. O. Smith’s payout ratio is 37.47%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AOS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. DA Davidson lowered A. O. Smith from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $80.00 target price for the company. in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $81.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $88.00 to $84.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $90.00 to $84.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price objective on A. O. Smith from $80.00 to $74.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $80.86.

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.