Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. Trims Position in A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS)

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. cut its position in A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) by 26.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 57,756 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 20,738 shares during the quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.'s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $3,775,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of AOS. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the 4th quarter worth approximately $66,000. Intact Investment Management Inc. acquired 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 stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the 4th quarter valued at $84,000. Signaturefd LLC boosted its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 40.0% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,299 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $89,000 after purchasing an additional 371 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC grew its stake in A. O. Smith by 40.4% during the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,571 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $103,000 after buying an additional 452 shares during the last quarter. 76.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AOS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Friday, June 27th. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of 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. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $70.00 price objective on the stock. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $75.29.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

Shares of AOS stock traded down $0.17 on Friday, reaching $67.92. 658,943 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,293,615. The company has a market cap of $9.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.20. A. O. Smith Corporation has a 1 year low of $58.83 and a 1 year high of $92.45. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $66.30 and a 200 day moving average price of $66.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.61.

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

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th were issued a $0.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.00%. A. O. Smith's payout ratio is 37.99%.

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.