Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC Raises Stock Holdings in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 26.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 123,764 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 26,257 shares during the quarter. A. O. Smith accounts for 1.8% of Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position. Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC owned about 0.09% of A. O. Smith worth $8,442,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. acquired a new stake in A. O. Smith in the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Quarry LP boosted its stake 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 worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 245 shares during the last quarter. Waldron Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC purchased a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the third quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in A. O. Smith in the 3rd quarter valued at $43,000. 76.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. DA Davidson cut shares of A. O. Smith from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $80.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Saturday, January 18th. StockNews.com cut A. O. Smith from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Robert W. Baird lowered 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 research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Oppenheimer raised shares of A. O. Smith from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $88.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $83.14.

A. O. Smith Trading Down 0.9 %

NYSE:AOS opened at $70.60 on Monday. A. O. Smith Co. has a 12-month low of $67.17 and a 12-month high of $92.44. The firm has a market cap of $10.24 billion, a PE ratio of 18.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a current ratio of 1.67, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $71.05 and a 200 day moving average price of $77.89.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, January 31st will be paid a $0.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.93%. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.79%.

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.