Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB Takes Position in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 19,215 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $1,726,000.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. purchased a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the second quarter worth approximately $25,000. Isthmus Partners LLC purchased a new stake in A. O. Smith in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Quarry LP lifted its stake in A. O. Smith by 214.9% during the 2nd 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 purchased a new position in A. O. Smith during the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Wolff Wiese Magana LLC bought a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the 3rd quarter worth $37,000. Institutional investors own 76.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on AOS. 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 report on Wednesday, October 23rd. DA Davidson lowered A. O. Smith from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $80.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. StockNews.com downgraded A. O. Smith from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Citigroup lowered their target price on A. O. Smith from $85.00 to $78.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $91.00 to $90.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $83.17.

A. O. Smith Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AOS traded down $0.14 during trading on Friday, hitting $72.49. 981,477 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 969,351. The company has a market cap of $10.51 billion, a PE ratio of 19.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.16. A. O. Smith Co. has a 52-week low of $70.73 and a 52-week high of $92.44. 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 stock has a 50 day moving average of $76.19 and a 200 day moving average of $80.60.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The industrial products company reported $0.82 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting 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 business had revenue of $957.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $960.36 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.90 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.78 EPS for the current year.

A. O. Smith Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 31st were issued a $0.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, October 31st. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.88%. This is a boost from A. O. Smith's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. A. O. Smith's dividend payout ratio is presently 35.79%.

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.