Inspire Investing LLC Sells 1,559 Shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Inspire Investing LLC trimmed its position in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 9.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,378 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,559 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $1,381,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. purchased a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the second quarter worth approximately $25,000. Isthmus Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Quarry LP raised its position in A. O. Smith by 214.9% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 359 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in A. O. Smith by 157.2% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 463 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 283 shares during the period. Finally, ORG Partners LLC lifted its stake in A. O. Smith by 665.0% in the first quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 612 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 532 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

A. O. Smith Trading Down 6.2 %

NYSE AOS opened at $80.87 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.70. A. O. Smith Co. has a fifty-two week low of $65.08 and a fifty-two week high of $92.44. The stock has a market cap of $11.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.15. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $82.73 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $83.96.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The industrial products company reported $1.06 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.07 by ($0.01). The company 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 revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.01 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that A. O. Smith Co. will post 4.07 earnings per share for the current year.

A. O. Smith Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 31st will be given a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 31st. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.68%. This is a boost from A. O. Smith’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. A. O. Smith’s payout ratio is currently 32.99%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other A. O. Smith news, SVP Samuel M. Carver sold 14,705 shares of A. O. Smith stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.00, for a total transaction of $1,191,105.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,399 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $194,319. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 2.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus raised A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $97.00 to $98.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on A. O. Smith from $92.00 to $90.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on A. O. Smith from $73.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, July 8th. Finally, StockNews.com raised A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $89.67.

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.