Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC Grows Stake in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 26.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 123,764 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 26,257 shares during the quarter. A. O. Smith makes up approximately 1.8% of Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $8,442,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. purchased a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Quarry LP raised its stake in A. O. Smith by 214.9% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 359 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 245 shares in the last quarter. Waldron Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in A. O. Smith in the third quarter valued at $32,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC purchased a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the third quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the third quarter worth about $43,000. 76.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AOS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $81.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on A. O. Smith from $91.00 to $90.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. StockNews.com cut shares of A. O. Smith from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of A. O. Smith from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $88.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of A. O. Smith from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $75.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $83.14.

A. O. Smith Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:AOS opened at $70.60 on Monday. A. O. Smith Co. has a fifty-two week low of $67.17 and a fifty-two week high of $92.44. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $71.05 and its 200-day simple moving average is $77.89. The company has a market cap of $10.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.58, a PEG ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.18.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

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