Natixis Investment Managers International Sells 195 Shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Natixis Investment Managers International reduced its position in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 10.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,604 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 195 shares during the quarter. Natixis Investment Managers International’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $143,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in AOS. ORG Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 665.0% during the 1st quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 612 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 532 shares during the period. Twin Tree Management LP grew its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 188.9% during the 1st quarter. Twin Tree Management LP now owns 737 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $66,000 after purchasing an additional 1,566 shares during the period. Addison Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 28.7% during the 4th quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 916 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $76,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 25.5% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 961 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $79,000 after purchasing an additional 195 shares during the period. Finally, Fidelis Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the 1st quarter valued at about $109,000. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on AOS. Oppenheimer restated a “market perform” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on A. O. Smith from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on A. O. Smith from $92.00 to $90.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Stifel Nicolaus raised A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $97.00 to $98.00 in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, April 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, A. O. Smith has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $89.29.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

NYSE AOS traded up $1.42 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $82.18. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,460,700 shares, compared to its average volume of 956,711. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $83.62 and its 200-day moving average price is $83.78. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. A. O. Smith Co. has a 1 year low of $64.14 and a 1 year high of $92.44. The company has a market capitalization of $12.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.29, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.15.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The industrial products company reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.07 by ($0.01). A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 31.22% and a net margin of 14.67%. The business had revenue of $1.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.01 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that A. O. Smith Co. will post 4.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 31st will be issued a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 31st. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.56%. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio is presently 33.16%.

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.