KBC Group NV Sells 56,963 Shares of A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS

KBC Group NV lessened its stake in shares of A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS) by 8.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 609,311 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 56,963 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $40,750,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 26.4% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 665,793 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $48,876,000 after purchasing an additional 139,117 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,508,947 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $184,182,000 after purchasing an additional 109,654 shares during the last quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 19.9% during the 3rd quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 273,216 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $20,057,000 after purchasing an additional 45,299 shares during the last quarter. Earnest Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 2,082,982 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $152,912,000 after purchasing an additional 36,122 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,871,694 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $137,393,000 after purchasing an additional 38,694 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

A. O. Smith Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE AOS opened at $63.32 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $70.70 and its 200-day moving average price is $69.47. The company has a current ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.35. A. O. Smith Corporation has a 12-month low of $61.35 and a 12-month high of $81.86.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $0.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $912.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $928.97 million. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 14.26% and a return on equity of 29.51%. The business’s revenue was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.85 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 30th will be given a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 30th. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.31%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Darrell W. Schuh sold 1,104 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.39, for a total transaction of $82,126.56. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 2,201 shares in the company, valued at approximately $163,732.39. This represents a 33.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Wednesday, December 24th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of A. O. Smith from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 14th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $78.00 price objective on shares of A. O. Smith and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Robert W. Baird set a $77.00 target price on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $78.00 to $74.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $74.89.

A. O. Smith Profile

A. O. Smith Corporation, based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is a leading manufacturer of water heating and water treatment products for residential and commercial applications. Since its founding in 1874, the company has built a reputation for producing reliable, energy-efficient water heaters, boilers and pressure vessels. Its product portfolio encompasses gas, electric, condensing and tankless water heaters, as well as specialty boilers designed to meet a variety of building and industrial needs.

The company operates through two primary segments: North America and Asia.