Thrivent Financial for Lutherans trimmed its position in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) by 38.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 51,995 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 32,261 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans' holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $3,546,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Quest Partners LLC bought a new position in A. O. Smith during the third quarter valued at $268,000. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 63.2% in the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 35,234 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $3,165,000 after acquiring an additional 13,648 shares during the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its position in A. O. Smith by 10.2% in the third quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 15,998 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,437,000 after acquiring an additional 1,477 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its stake in A. O. Smith by 3.9% during the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 2,302,659 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $206,848,000 after acquiring an additional 87,458 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Independent Advisor Alliance lifted its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 8,391 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $754,000 after purchasing an additional 446 shares during the last quarter. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
A. O. Smith Trading Down 2.0 %
A. O. Smith stock traded down $1.31 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $65.59. The company had a trading volume of 762,124 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,080,691. The firm has a market cap of $9.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $67.29 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $72.95. A. O. Smith Co. has a 1 year low of $64.55 and a 1 year high of $92.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.55.
A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.85 earnings per share 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%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.76 earnings per share for the current year.
A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st were paid a $0.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.07%. A. O. Smith's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.47%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several research firms have recently weighed in on AOS. Citigroup cut their target price on A. O. Smith from $78.00 to $73.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 13th. StockNews.com raised shares of A. O. Smith from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $90.00 to $84.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer cut their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $88.00 to $84.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Saturday, March 22nd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, A. O. Smith has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $80.86.
View Our Latest Analysis on A. O. Smith
Insider Transactions at A. O. Smith
In other A. O. Smith news, SVP Douglas Samuel Karge sold 419 shares of the company'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 transaction of $27,507.35. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,749 shares in the company, valued at approximately $180,471.85. This represents a 13.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 1,026 shares of A. O. Smith stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.65, for a total transaction of $67,356.90. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 8,889 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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. Insiders own 0.76% of the company's stock.
About A. O. Smith
(
Free Report)
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.
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