HighTower Advisors LLC Has $1.15 Million Stock Position in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

HighTower Advisors LLC decreased its position in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) by 49.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,839 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 12,774 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC's holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $1,152,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. bought a new position in A. O. Smith in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Isthmus Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Quarry LP boosted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 214.9% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 359 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 245 shares in the last quarter. Waldron Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Wolff Wiese Magana LLC bought a new stake in A. O. Smith during the third quarter worth approximately $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.10% of the company's stock.

A. O. Smith Stock Down 1.5 %

NYSE:AOS traded down $1.08 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $70.81. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,148,923 shares, compared to its average volume of 969,260. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 1.67 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The company has a market cap of $10.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.16. A. O. Smith Co. has a one year low of $70.73 and a one year high of $92.44. The business's 50-day moving average is $75.55 and its 200-day moving average is $80.42.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The industrial products company reported $0.82 earnings per share (EPS) 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 firm had revenue of $957.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $960.36 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.90 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.77 EPS for the current year.

A. O. Smith Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 31st were paid a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 31st. This is a boost from A. O. Smith's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. A. O. Smith's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.79%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AOS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $81.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. UBS Group raised A. O. Smith from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $75.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $85.00 to $78.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 9th. DA Davidson cut A. O. Smith from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $80.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, StockNews.com lowered A. O. Smith from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $83.17.

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.