Bank of Montreal Can Decreases Stake in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Bank of Montreal Can decreased its holdings in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) by 18.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 152,391 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 33,377 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can owned about 0.11% of A. O. Smith worth $13,805,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in A. O. Smith by 7.2% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,007 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $164,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank increased its holdings in A. O. Smith by 19.8% in the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 812 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $73,000 after buying an additional 134 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in A. O. Smith by 12.5% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,227 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $110,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the period. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC boosted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC now owns 2,989 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $269,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Finally, OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 5.1% in the third quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,240 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $291,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.10% of the company's stock.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AOS traded up $0.39 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $74.49. 381,326 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 954,527. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $79.09 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $81.41. A. O. Smith Co. has a 1 year low of $70.73 and a 1 year high of $92.44. The company has a market cap of $10.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.60, a PEG ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.17. 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 (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The industrial products company reported $0.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.82. The business had revenue of $957.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $960.36 million. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 14.41% and a return on equity of 30.09%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.90 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 31st were paid 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 yield of 1.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 31st. A. O. Smith's payout ratio is 35.79%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. DA Davidson lowered shares of A. O. Smith from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $80.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. UBS Group upgraded A. O. Smith from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $75.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $81.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on A. O. Smith from $92.00 to $91.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of A. O. Smith from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, A. O. Smith presently has a consensus 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.