KBC Group NV Increases Position in A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS)

KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) by 0.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,662,779 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 13,954 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV owned approximately 1.16% of A. O. Smith worth $108,679,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of AOS. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the fourth quarter worth approximately $66,000. Intact Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the first quarter worth $72,000. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan purchased a new position in A. O. Smith in the fourth quarter valued at $84,000. Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in A. O. Smith by 40.0% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,299 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $89,000 after purchasing an additional 371 shares during the period. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in A. O. Smith by 40.4% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,571 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $103,000 after purchasing an additional 452 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.10% of the company's stock.

A. O. Smith Trading Up 3.1%

Shares of AOS traded up $2.04 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $67.61. The stock had a trading volume of 795,746 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,287,753. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.61. The firm has a market cap of $9.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.21. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $66.03 and its 200 day simple moving average is $66.65. A. O. Smith Corporation has a 12-month low of $58.83 and a 12-month high of $92.45.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The industrial products company reported $0.95 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $963.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $950.56 million. A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 28.39% and a net margin of 13.74%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.00 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th were given a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 30th. A. O. Smith's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.99%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AOS has been the subject of several research reports. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on A. O. Smith from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Friday. Citigroup cut their target price on A. O. Smith from $69.00 to $65.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on A. O. Smith in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $70.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their target price on A. O. Smith from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $75.29.

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.