Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. Sells 7,736 Shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. cut its stake in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 52.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,027 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 7,736 shares during the quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $631,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Colonial River Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the third quarter worth $209,000. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in A. O. Smith during the 3rd quarter worth $209,000. Assetmark Inc. increased its holdings in A. O. Smith by 9.4% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 25,991 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,335,000 after purchasing an additional 2,236 shares in the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC acquired a new position in A. O. Smith in the 3rd quarter worth about $240,000. Finally, Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS raised its position in A. O. Smith by 8.7% in the third quarter. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS now owns 34,722 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,119,000 after purchasing an additional 2,776 shares during the last quarter. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

AOS stock opened at $72.22 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The firm has a market cap of $10.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.01, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.17. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $80.59 and its 200 day simple moving average is $82.24. A. O. Smith Co. has a 12-month low of $72.15 and a 12-month high of $92.44.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The industrial products company reported $0.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.82. A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 30.09% and a net margin of 14.41%. The company had revenue of $957.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $960.36 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.90 EPS. On average, analysts expect that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.78 earnings per share for the current 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 issued a dividend of $0.34 per share. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.88%. This is a boost from A. O. Smith’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 31st. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio is presently 35.79%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on AOS. DA Davidson downgraded A. O. Smith from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $80.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. UBS Group raised shares of A. O. Smith from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their price target for the company from $75.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $81.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. StockNews.com upgraded A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on A. O. Smith from $92.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently 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.