KBC Group NV Has $105.72 Million Stake in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

KBC Group NV increased its stake in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) by 1.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,176,835 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 21,094 shares during the period. KBC Group NV owned approximately 0.81% of A. O. Smith worth $105,715,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in A. O. Smith by 7.2% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,007 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $164,000 after buying an additional 134 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in A. O. Smith by 12.5% in the third 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 last quarter. Algebris UK Ltd increased its stake in A. O. Smith by 2.3% in the first quarter. Algebris UK Ltd now owns 6,109 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $506,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC raised its position in A. O. Smith by 5.0% during the third quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC now owns 2,989 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $269,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kessler Investment Group LLC lifted its stake in A. O. Smith by 3.5% during the second quarter. Kessler Investment Group LLC now owns 5,087 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $416,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.10% of the company's stock.

A. O. Smith Trading Up 0.3 %

NYSE AOS traded up $0.22 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $73.33. The company's stock had a trading volume of 362,183 shares, compared to its average volume of 969,736. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $80.78 and a 200-day simple moving average of $82.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 1.67 and a quick ratio of 1.02. A. O. Smith Co. has a 52 week low of $72.62 and a 52 week high of $92.44. The stock has a market cap of $10.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.17.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 14.41% and a return on equity of 30.09%. The firm had revenue of $957.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $960.36 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.90 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 31st will be given a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.85%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 31st. This is a positive change from A. O. Smith's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. A. O. Smith's payout ratio is 35.79%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com upgraded A. O. Smith from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on 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 dropped their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $92.00 to $91.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. 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. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of A. O. Smith from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $75.00 to $80.00 in a research note 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 MarketBeat, A. O. Smith has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price 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.