Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Acquires 14,587 Shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 20.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 84,256 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 14,587 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $7,569,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in AOS. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 7.2% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,007 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $164,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank grew its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 19.8% during the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 812 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $73,000 after buying an additional 134 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 12.5% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,227 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $110,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the period. Algebris UK Ltd raised its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 2.3% in the 1st 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 period. Finally, Gateway Investment Advisers LLC boosted its stake in A. O. Smith by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC now owns 2,989 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $269,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

A. O. Smith Stock Performance

Shares of A. O. Smith stock opened at $73.44 on Friday. 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 $10.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 1.17. A. O. Smith Co. has a one year low of $70.73 and a one year high of $92.44. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $79.94 and its 200-day moving average is $81.85.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last released its quarterly 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 firm 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 prior year, the firm posted $0.90 EPS. Equities analysts predict that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 31st were paid 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 1.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 31st. A. O. Smith’s payout ratio is presently 35.79%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on AOS shares. StockNews.com raised shares of A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on A. O. Smith from $92.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $81.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. UBS Group upgraded A. O. Smith from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $75.00 to $80.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, DA Davidson cut A. O. Smith from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $80.00 price objective on the stock. in a report 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. According to data from MarketBeat, A. O. Smith presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus 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.