A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) Shares Sold by Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank trimmed its position in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 1.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 234,054 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 4,453 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $21,025,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. acquired a new position in shares of A. O. Smith in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Isthmus Partners LLC acquired a new stake in A. O. Smith in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Quarry LP raised its position in A. O. Smith by 214.9% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 359 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the period. Waldron Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the third quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Wolff Wiese Magana LLC purchased a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the third quarter worth about $37,000. 76.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

Shares of AOS stock opened at $74.47 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $79.26 and a two-hundred day moving average of $81.53. The firm has a market cap of $10.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.17. A. O. Smith Co. has a 1-year low of $70.73 and a 1-year high of $92.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 1.67 and a quick ratio of 1.02.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The industrial products company reported $0.82 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.82. A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 30.09% and a net margin of 14.41%. The business had revenue of $957.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $960.36 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.90 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 31st were given a dividend of $0.34 per share. This is a positive change from A. O. Smith’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.83%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, October 31st. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.79%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AOS has been the topic of several analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on A. O. Smith from $92.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $81.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. UBS Group raised shares of A. O. Smith from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $75.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, DA Davidson cut shares of A. O. Smith from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $80.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $86.71.

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.