Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ Cuts Holdings in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ lowered its stake in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) by 55.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 81,924 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 101,655 shares during the quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ owned 0.06% of A. O. Smith worth $5,572,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the third quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new stake in A. O. Smith during the 3rd quarter valued at $55,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC acquired a new position in A. O. Smith during the fourth quarter worth $60,000. Huntington National Bank lifted its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 19.8% in the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 812 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $73,000 after buying an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the third quarter valued at about $82,000. 76.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AOS has been the topic of several recent research reports. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $90.00 to $84.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer dropped their target price on A. O. Smith from $88.00 to $84.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup decreased their price target on A. O. Smith from $78.00 to $73.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 13th. StockNews.com upgraded A. O. Smith from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $80.00 to $74.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $80.86.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Douglas Samuel Karge sold 419 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.65, for a total value of $27,507.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,749 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $180,471.85. This trade represents a 13.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 1,026 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.65, for a total value of $67,356.90. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 8,889 shares in the company, valued at approximately $583,562.85. The trade was a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.76% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

A. O. Smith Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AOS traded down $0.05 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $67.61. 1,217,810 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,013,432. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.18. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $67.80 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $73.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 0.96. A. O. Smith Co. has a 52 week low of $64.55 and a 52 week high of $92.45.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.90 by ($0.05). A. O. Smith had a net margin of 13.98% and a return on equity of 28.87%. Analysts predict that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.76 EPS for the current year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st were paid a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.01%. A. O. Smith's payout ratio is 37.47%.

About A. O. Smith

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.