Willis Investment Counsel Increases Position in A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS

Willis Investment Counsel increased its stake in shares of A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS) by 42.0% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 45,511 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 13,453 shares during the quarter. Willis Investment Counsel’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $3,044,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rothschild Investment LLC lifted its position in A. O. Smith by 3,125.0% during the third quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 387 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 375 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in A. O. Smith during the third quarter valued at $33,000. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in A. O. Smith by 67.9% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 487 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the period. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new position in A. O. Smith during the third quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Cary Street Partners Financial LLC acquired a new position in A. O. Smith during the third quarter valued at $37,000. 76.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at A. O. Smith

In related news, SVP Darrell W. Schuh sold 1,104 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.39, for a total transaction of $82,126.56. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 2,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $163,732.39. This represents a 33.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AOS has been the subject of a number of research reports. Robert W. Baird set a $77.00 target price on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $75.00 target price on shares of A. O. Smith and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of A. O. Smith from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 14th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Wednesday, December 24th. Finally, Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating and set a $78.00 target price (up from $72.00) on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $77.00.

A. O. Smith Stock Up 4.0%

AOS opened at $66.78 on Thursday. A. O. Smith Corporation has a twelve month low of $58.83 and a twelve month high of $81.86. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $71.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $69.73. The company has a market cap of $9.23 billion, a PE ratio of 17.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.35.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $0.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.06. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 14.26% and a return on equity of 29.51%. The company had revenue of $912.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $928.97 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.85 EPS. A. O. Smith’s revenue was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Investors of record on Friday, January 30th were paid a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 30th. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.31%.

A. O. Smith Profile

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.