Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Lowers Stake in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lessened its stake in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 38.3% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 51,995 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 32,261 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $3,546,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AOS. Quest Partners LLC bought a new position in A. O. Smith in the third quarter worth approximately $268,000. Cerity Partners LLC grew its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 63.2% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 35,234 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,165,000 after buying an additional 13,648 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 10.2% during the third quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 15,998 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,437,000 after buying an additional 1,477 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 3.9% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 2,302,659 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $206,848,000 after acquiring an additional 87,458 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Independent Advisor Alliance lifted its stake in A. O. Smith by 5.6% in the third quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 8,391 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $754,000 after acquiring an additional 446 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other A. O. Smith news, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 1,026 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 transaction of $67,356.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 8,889 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $583,562.85. This trade represents a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Douglas Samuel Karge sold 419 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,749 shares in the company, valued at $180,471.85. This trade represents a 13.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.76% of the company’s stock.

A. O. Smith Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:AOS opened at $66.76 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $67.58 and its 200 day moving average is $73.16. 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 1 year low of $64.55 and a 1 year high of $92.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.18.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.85 earnings per share (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%. On average, research analysts predict that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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 was Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.04%. A. O. Smith’s payout ratio is currently 37.47%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on AOS. StockNews.com raised shares of A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup lowered their target price 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. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on 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. UBS Group reduced their price target on A. O. Smith from $80.00 to $74.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Saturday. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $80.86.

A. O. Smith 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.