Vest Financial LLC Has $55.71 Million Stake in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Vest Financial LLC grew its position in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) by 20.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 620,212 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 107,248 shares during the quarter. A. O. Smith makes up approximately 1.1% of Vest Financial LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Vest Financial LLC owned 0.43% of A. O. Smith worth $55,714,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. American International Group Inc. boosted its stake in A. O. Smith by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. American International Group Inc. now owns 33,231 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,740,000 after buying an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in A. O. Smith by 43.8% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 461,852 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $38,075,000 after purchasing an additional 140,685 shares in the last quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise grew its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 768.9% during the first quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 5,778 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $517,000 after purchasing an additional 5,113 shares during the last quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the first quarter valued at $215,000. Finally, Annex Advisory Services LLC increased its position in A. O. Smith by 20.8% in the 1st quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 205,447 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $18,379,000 after acquiring an additional 35,333 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. UBS Group upped their price objective on A. O. Smith from $73.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a report on Monday, July 8th. StockNews.com upgraded A. O. Smith from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $92.00 to $90.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upgraded A. O. Smith from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $97.00 to $98.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $89.67.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

AOS stock remained flat at $78.75 during trading on Friday. 1,032,245 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 959,398. The company has a market capitalization of $11.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 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 business's fifty day moving average is $82.67 and its 200-day moving average is $83.68. A. O. Smith Co. has a twelve month low of $65.08 and a twelve month high of $92.44.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The industrial products company reported $1.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $1 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.01 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.77 EPS for the current year.

A. O. Smith Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.34 per share. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.73%. This is a positive change from A. O. Smith's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 31st. A. O. Smith's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.99%.

Insider Transactions at A. O. Smith

In related news, SVP Samuel M. Carver sold 14,705 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.00, for a total value of $1,191,105.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,399 shares in the company, valued at $194,319. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, 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.