Caprock Group LLC Invests $1.23 Million in A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS

Caprock Group LLC bought a new stake in A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS) during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund bought 17,193 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,226,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. True Wealth Design LLC grew its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 44,400.0% during the 2nd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 445 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 444 shares in the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P acquired a new stake in A. O. Smith in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Evelyn Partners Investment Management LLP lifted its position in A. O. Smith by 988.9% during the 2nd quarter. Evelyn Partners Investment Management LLP now owns 490 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 445 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Quent Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

A. O. Smith Stock Up 1.0%

AOS stock opened at $80.43 on Friday. A. O. Smith Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $58.83 and a fifty-two week high of $81.86. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $71.30 and its 200 day simple moving average is $70.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.50. The company has a market cap of $11.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.36.

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

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th will be given a $0.36 dividend. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 30th. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.31%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on AOS shares. 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 note on Friday, January 9th. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $75.00 price objective on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Thursday, November 13th. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $78.00 price target (up previously from $72.00) on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Robert W. Baird set a $77.00 target price on A. O. Smith in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $85.00 price target on shares of A. O. Smith and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, A. O. Smith presently has a consensus 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.