Tredje AP fonden Cuts Stock Holdings in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Tredje AP fonden lessened its position in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 44,179 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 683 shares during the quarter. Tredje AP fonden’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $3,613,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Isthmus Partners LLC purchased a new position in A. O. Smith in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in A. O. Smith by 157.2% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 463 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 283 shares during the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC grew its stake in A. O. Smith by 665.0% during the 1st quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 612 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 532 shares in the last quarter. Twin Tree Management LP raised its holdings in A. O. Smith by 188.9% in the 1st quarter. Twin Tree Management LP now owns 737 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $66,000 after acquiring an additional 1,566 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fidelis Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in A. O. Smith in the 1st quarter worth approximately $109,000. 76.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

A. O. Smith Stock Performance

NYSE AOS opened at $82.90 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $12.16 billion, a PE ratio of 21.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.15. A. O. Smith Co. has a twelve month low of $64.14 and a twelve month high of $92.44. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $82.41 and a 200-day simple moving average of $83.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The industrial products company reported $1.06 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.07 by ($0.01). A. O. Smith had a net margin of 14.67% and a return on equity of 31.04%. The company had revenue of $1.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.01 earnings per share. A. O. Smith’s revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that A. O. Smith Co. will post 4.07 earnings per share for the current year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 31st were given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 31st. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.54%. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio is currently 33.16%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on AOS shares. Stifel Nicolaus upgraded A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $97.00 to $98.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. UBS Group raised their target price on A. O. Smith from $73.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, July 8th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on shares of 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. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $89.67.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Samuel M. Carver sold 14,705 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,399 shares in the company, valued at approximately $194,319. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.70% of the company’s stock.

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.