Sarasin & Partners LLP Sells 75,387 Shares of A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS

Sarasin & Partners LLP decreased its holdings in A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS) by 5.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,325,226 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 75,387 shares during the period. Sarasin & Partners LLP’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $88,631,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. WealthPLAN Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 1.3% in the third quarter. WealthPLAN Partners LLC now owns 12,080 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $887,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in A. O. Smith by 17.3% in the 3rd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,130 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $83,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its holdings in A. O. Smith by 37.8% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 613 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in A. O. Smith by 4.5% during the 2nd quarter. Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,972 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $260,000 after buying an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in A. O. Smith by 24.8% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 871 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $64,000 after buying an additional 173 shares during the period. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

A. O. Smith Trading Down 0.8%

NYSE:AOS opened at $64.01 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $73.57 and a 200-day simple moving average of $70.44. A. O. Smith Corporation has a one year low of $58.83 and a one year high of $81.86. The firm has a market cap of $8.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.50.

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

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th were given a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 30th. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.31%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of A. O. Smith from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 14th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $75.00 price target 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 price objective (up from $72.00) on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Friday, January 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $69.00 price objective on A. O. Smith and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Wednesday, December 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, A. O. Smith has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $77.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Darrell W. Schuh sold 1,104 shares of A. O. Smith stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.39, for a total value of $82,126.56. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 2,201 shares in the company, valued at approximately $163,732.39. This trade represents a 33.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

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.