Versant Capital Management Inc Has $38,000 Stock Position in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 157.2% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 463 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 283 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $38,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Algebris UK Ltd grew its stake in A. O. Smith by 2.3% in the first quarter. Algebris UK Ltd now owns 6,109 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $506,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the period. Empirical Finance LLC grew its stake in A. O. Smith by 3.3% in the first quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 4,618 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $413,000 after acquiring an additional 149 shares during the period. United Asset Strategies Inc. grew its stake in A. O. Smith by 1.5% in the first quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc. now owns 10,156 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $909,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares during the period. American International Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. American International Group Inc. now owns 33,231 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,740,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Scotia Capital Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Scotia Capital Inc. now owns 7,726 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $637,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other A. O. Smith news, Director Ronald D. Brown 3,631 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 30th. The was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 2.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

A. O. Smith Stock Performance

Shares of AOS traded up $1.01 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $82.67. The stock had a trading volume of 168,759 shares, compared to its average volume of 959,880. The firm has a market cap of $12.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.16, a PEG ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 1.15. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $83.40 and a 200-day moving average price of $84.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 1.70 and a quick ratio of 1.07. A. O. Smith Co. has a 52 week low of $64.14 and a 52 week high of $92.44.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The industrial products company reported $1.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.07 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $1.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1 billion. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 14.67% and a return on equity of 31.04%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.01 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that A. O. Smith Co. will post 4.07 EPS for the current year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 31st will be given a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.55%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 31st. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.16%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on AOS shares. StockNews.com lowered A. O. Smith from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on A. O. Smith from $92.00 to $90.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. UBS Group lifted their price target on A. O. Smith from $73.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, July 8th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on A. O. Smith from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upgraded A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $97.00 to $98.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $89.67.

About A. O. Smith

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.