Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. Sells 30,297 Shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. reduced its position in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 26.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 85,269 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 30,297 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $7,660,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in A. O. Smith by 7.2% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,007 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $164,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 12.5% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,227 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $110,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Algebris UK Ltd boosted its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 2.3% in the 1st quarter. Algebris UK Ltd now owns 6,109 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $506,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC grew its stake in A. O. Smith by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC now owns 2,989 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $269,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empirical Finance LLC increased its position in A. O. Smith by 3.3% during the 1st quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 4,618 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $413,000 after buying an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

Shares of AOS opened at $76.03 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $11.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.17. The business’s 50-day moving average is $81.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $82.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.67. A. O. Smith Co. has a fifty-two week low of $70.44 and a fifty-two week high of $92.44.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The industrial products company reported $0.82 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.82. A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 30.09% and a net margin of 14.41%. The company had revenue of $957.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $960.36 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.90 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.78 earnings per share for the current year.

A. O. Smith Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 31st. This is an increase from A. O. Smith’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.79%. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio is 35.79%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on AOS shares. DA Davidson downgraded A. O. Smith from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $80.00 price target for the company. in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $81.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $92.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. StockNews.com raised shares of A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, UBS Group upgraded A. O. Smith from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $75.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $86.71.

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.