Handelsbanken Fonder AB Purchases 30,200 Shares of A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS

Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its position in shares of A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS) by 128.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 53,700 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 30,200 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $3,942,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Magnetar Financial LLC bought a new stake in A. O. Smith in the 2nd quarter valued at $2,837,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,265,091 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $82,952,000 after acquiring an additional 13,906 shares during the period. Alps Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 19.9% during the 3rd quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 273,216 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $20,057,000 after acquiring an additional 45,299 shares in the last quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd bought a new stake in A. O. Smith in the third quarter valued at about $750,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in A. O. Smith by 12.0% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 526,676 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $34,534,000 after acquiring an additional 56,386 shares during the period. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

A. O. Smith Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of AOS opened at $77.93 on Tuesday. 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 market cap of $10.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.19, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.33. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $73.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $70.78. A. O. Smith Corporation has a 52-week low of $58.83 and a 52-week high of $81.86.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $0.90 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.06. A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 29.51% and a net margin of 14.26%.The company had revenue of $912.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $928.97 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.85 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th were given a $0.36 dividend. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 30th. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling at A. O. Smith

In other news, SVP Darrell W. Schuh sold 356 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.89, for a total transaction of $28,440.84. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 3,295 shares in the company, valued at approximately $263,237.55. This represents a 9.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.76% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on AOS shares. Jefferies Financial Group set a $75.00 price objective on A. O. Smith and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $78.00 target price (up from $72.00) on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Friday, January 30th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $85.00 price target on A. O. Smith and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Wall Street Zen cut A. O. Smith from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 14th. Finally, DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $75.00 price objective on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, A. O. Smith currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $77.00.

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.