Thematics Asset Management Increases Stake in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Thematics Asset Management raised its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 182,000 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,000 shares during the period. Thematics Asset Management owned approximately 0.13% of A. O. Smith worth $16,349,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. acquired a new position in A. O. Smith in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Isthmus Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Quarry LP increased its position 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 buying an additional 245 shares in the last quarter. Waldron Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Wolff Wiese Magana LLC acquired a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the 3rd quarter worth about $37,000. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

A. O. Smith Stock Down 1.8 %

Shares of AOS traded down $1.38 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $74.05. The stock had a trading volume of 95,726 shares, compared to its average volume of 968,541. The company has a market cap of $10.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.85, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.17. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $79.81 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $81.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 1.67 and a quick ratio of 1.02. A. O. Smith Co. has a 1-year low of $70.73 and a 1-year high of $92.44.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The industrial products company reported $0.82 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.82. The firm had revenue of $957.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $960.36 million. A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 30.09% and a net margin of 14.41%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.90 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.78 earnings per share for the current year.

A. O. Smith Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 31st were issued a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.84%. This is a boost 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 payout ratio is presently 35.79%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. UBS Group raised shares of A. O. Smith from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $75.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on A. O. Smith from $92.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock 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 on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. DA Davidson cut shares of A. O. Smith from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $80.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $86.71.

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.