Natixis Advisors LLC Buys 17,017 Shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Natixis Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) by 8.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 216,349 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 17,017 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC owned about 0.15% of A. O. Smith worth $19,435,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of AOS. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. bought a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Isthmus Partners LLC bought a new position in A. O. Smith during the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Quarry LP increased its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 214.9% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 359 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the period. Waldron Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Wolff Wiese Magana LLC acquired a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the third quarter valued at $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.10% of the company's stock.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

NYSE AOS traded down $0.39 on Wednesday, hitting $71.02. 223,686 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 969,358. A. O. Smith Co. has a 1-year low of $70.73 and a 1-year high of $92.44. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $80.33 and a two-hundred day moving average of $82.06. The company has a current ratio of 1.67, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The company has a market cap of $10.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 1.17.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The industrial products company reported $0.82 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.82. The company had revenue of $957.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $960.36 million. A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 30.09% and a net margin of 14.41%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.90 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.78 EPS for the current year.

A. O. Smith Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 31st were issued a $0.34 dividend. 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 1.91%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, October 31st. A. O. Smith's dividend payout ratio is currently 35.79%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AOS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group raised shares of A. O. Smith from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $75.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. StockNews.com raised shares of A. O. Smith from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. DA Davidson lowered A. O. Smith from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $80.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $81.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $92.00 to $91.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $86.71.

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.