A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) Shares Sold by Mizuho Markets Americas LLC

Mizuho Markets Americas LLC trimmed its stake in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 1.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 69,836 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 831 shares during the quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $6,273,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in AOS. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. acquired a new position in shares of A. O. Smith in the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Isthmus Partners LLC acquired a new stake in A. O. Smith during the second quarter valued at $27,000. Quarry LP increased its holdings in A. O. Smith by 214.9% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 359 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 245 shares during the last quarter. Waldron Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in A. O. Smith in the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Wolff Wiese Magana LLC acquired 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 institutional investors and hedge funds.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

AOS opened at $72.22 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.67. A. O. Smith Co. has a 52 week low of $72.15 and a 52 week high of $92.44. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $80.59 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $82.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.47 billion, a PE ratio of 19.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.17.

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

A. O. Smith Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 31st were issued a $0.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, October 31st. 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 yield of 1.88%. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.79%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on AOS. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on 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 report on Thursday, November 7th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $92.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. UBS Group raised shares of A. O. Smith from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $75.00 to $80.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, DA Davidson downgraded A. O. Smith from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $80.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $86.71.

A. O. Smith 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.