Numerai GP LLC Takes Position in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Numerai GP LLC acquired a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 27,671 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,887,000.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new position in A. O. Smith in the 4th quarter valued at $66,000. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan purchased a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the fourth quarter worth $84,000. Signaturefd LLC boosted its stake in A. O. Smith by 40.0% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,299 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $89,000 after buying an additional 371 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in A. O. Smith during the fourth quarter worth about $201,000. Finally, Arrowroot Family Office LLC bought a new position in A. O. Smith in the 4th quarter worth about $206,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

A. O. Smith Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of AOS opened at $70.13 on Wednesday. A. O. Smith Co. has a 1 year low of $58.83 and a 1 year high of $92.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $65.64 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $68.70. The firm has a market cap of $9.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.28.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The industrial products company reported $0.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $963.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $950.56 million. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 13.98% and a return on equity of 28.87%. The firm’s revenue was down 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.00 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be issued a $0.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.94%. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.99%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AOS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Oppenheimer dropped their price target on A. O. Smith from $88.00 to $84.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $69.00 to $65.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $76.17.

A. O. Smith Company 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.