Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Cuts Holdings in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) by 0.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,218,779 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 6,667 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned 0.84% of A. O. Smith worth $109,483,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. King Luther Capital Management Corp boosted its holdings in A. O. Smith by 10.0% in the third quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 70,747 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $6,355,000 after acquiring an additional 6,430 shares during the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new position in shares of A. O. Smith in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,684,000. Nixon Peabody Trust Co. bought a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the 3rd quarter valued at $262,000. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the third quarter worth $268,000. Finally, S&CO Inc. bought a new position in A. O. Smith during the third quarter worth $215,000. Institutional investors own 76.10% of the company's stock.

A. O. Smith Stock Down 2.0 %

Shares of NYSE:AOS traded down $1.52 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $73.91. 850,786 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 971,954. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $79.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $81.72. 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. The firm has a market cap of $10.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.17.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The industrial products company reported $0.82 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.82. The firm had revenue of $957.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 earned $0.90 earnings per share. 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 business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 31st were paid a $0.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 31st. This is an increase from A. O. Smith's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.84%. A. O. Smith's dividend payout ratio is 35.79%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $81.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on 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. DA Davidson cut A. O. Smith from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $80.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. StockNews.com raised A. O. Smith from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, 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 research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, A. O. Smith presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target 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.