A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS Shares Purchased by JPMorgan Chase & Co.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS) by 26.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 665,793 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 139,117 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned 0.48% of A. O. Smith worth $48,876,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $91,939,000. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in A. O. Smith by 54.3% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,080,288 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $136,405,000 after acquiring an additional 732,041 shares during the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd grew its position in A. O. Smith by 655.5% in the second quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 710,716 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $46,602,000 after acquiring an additional 616,638 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its stake in A. O. Smith by 521.1% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 581,070 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $38,101,000 after acquiring an additional 487,513 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC raised its position in A. O. Smith by 171.6% in the second quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 667,655 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $43,778,000 after purchasing an additional 421,845 shares during the period. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at A. O. Smith

In related news, SVP Darrell W. Schuh sold 356 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.89, for a total transaction of $28,440.84. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 3,295 shares in the company, valued at approximately $263,237.55. This represents a 9.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.76% of the company’s stock.

A. O. Smith Stock Performance

Shares of AOS stock opened at $77.21 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $73.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $70.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.68 billion, a PE ratio of 20.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. A. O. Smith Corporation has a 52 week low of $58.83 and a 52 week high of $81.86.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $0.90 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.84 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $912.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $928.97 million. A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 29.51% and a net margin of 14.26%.The company’s revenue was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.85 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th were paid a $0.36 dividend. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 30th. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.31%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on AOS shares. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $69.00 price target on A. O. Smith and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $85.00 target price on shares of A. O. Smith and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $75.00 price target on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $78.00 price objective (up from $72.00) on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of A. O. Smith from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $77.00.

About A. O. Smith

A. O. Smith Corporation, based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is a leading manufacturer of water heating and water treatment products for residential and commercial applications. Since its founding in 1874, the company has built a reputation for producing reliable, energy-efficient water heaters, boilers and pressure vessels. Its product portfolio encompasses gas, electric, condensing and tankless water heaters, as well as specialty boilers designed to meet a variety of building and industrial needs.

The company operates through two primary segments: North America and Asia.