Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co Sells 643 Shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co lessened its holdings in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 5.8% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 10,476 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 643 shares during the quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $857,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in A. O. Smith by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 1,991,003 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $164,138,000 after buying an additional 75,898 shares during the last quarter. Earnest Partners LLC raised its holdings in A. O. Smith by 5.7% during the 1st quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 1,973,942 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $176,589,000 after purchasing an additional 106,329 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. raised its holdings in A. O. Smith by 5.5% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 1,326,586 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $118,677,000 after purchasing an additional 68,787 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in A. O. Smith during the 4th quarter worth approximately $108,176,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in A. O. Smith by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,194,731 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $97,708,000 after purchasing an additional 19,890 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

A. O. Smith Stock Performance

Shares of AOS stock opened at $82.89 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $82.37 and a 200-day moving average of $83.98. A. O. Smith Co. has a 52 week low of $64.14 and a 52 week high of $92.44. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The company has a market cap of $12.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.15.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The industrial products company reported $1.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $1.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.01 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that A. O. Smith Co. will post 4.07 earnings per share for the current year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on AOS shares. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $92.00 to $90.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 13th. Stifel Nicolaus upgraded shares of A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $97.00 to $98.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $73.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, July 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, A. O. Smith presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $89.67.

Insider Activity at A. O. Smith

In related news, SVP Samuel M. Carver sold 14,705 shares of A. O. Smith stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.00, for a total value of $1,191,105.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,399 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $194,319. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 2.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.