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

Key Points

• KBC Group NV cut its A. O. Smith stake by 8.5% in Q4, selling 56,963 shares and leaving 609,311 shares valued at $40.75 million (about 0.44% ownership).
• Analysts have a consensus rating of Hold with an average price target of $74.89, though Goldman Sachs recently cut its target to $61 and gave a Sell rating.
• A. O. Smith beat Q4 EPS estimates ($0.90 vs. $0.84) while revenue slightly missed, pays a quarterly dividend of $0.36 (annualized $1.44, ~2.3% yield; ex-dividend April 30), and shares trade around $63.32 within a 52‑week range of $61.35–$81.86.

KBC Group NV decreased its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) by 8.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 609,311 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 56,963 shares during the period. KBC Group NV owned about 0.44% of A. O. Smith worth $40,750,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. WealthPLAN Partners LLC grew its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. WealthPLAN Partners LLC now owns 12,080 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $887,000 after acquiring an additional 158 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 17.3% during the 3rd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,130 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $83,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC grew its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 37.8% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 613 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 24.8% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 871 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $64,000 after acquiring an additional 173 shares during the period. Finally, HBK Sorce Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 8,077 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $574,000 after acquiring an additional 184 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AOS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Stifel Nicolaus set a $78.00 price objective on shares of A. O. Smith and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Wednesday, December 24th. Robert W. Baird set a $77.00 price objective on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Friday, January 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $69.00 to $61.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Finally, Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $78.00 to $74.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $74.89.

A. O. Smith Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of A. O. Smith stock opened at $63.32 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $8.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.50. The company has a fifty day moving average of $70.70 and a 200 day moving average of $69.47. A. O. Smith Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $61.35 and a fifty-two week high of $81.86.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $0.90 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $912.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $928.97 million. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 14.26% and a return on equity of 29.51%. A. O. Smith's quarterly revenue was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.85 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 30th. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. A. O. Smith's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.31%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Darrell W. Schuh sold 1,104 shares of A. O. Smith stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owned 2,201 shares in the company, valued at $163,732.39. This trade represents a 33.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.

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