Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Sells 21,581 Shares of A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans decreased its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS) by 41.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 30,305 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 21,581 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $2,225,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in A. O. Smith in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,045,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the second quarter valued at $386,000. Magnetar Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the 2nd quarter valued at $2,837,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,265,091 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $82,952,000 after purchasing an additional 13,906 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bayforest Capital Ltd bought a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the 3rd quarter worth about $750,000. 76.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

A. O. Smith Stock Performance

Shares of A. O. Smith stock opened at $80.46 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 1.50 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $70.54 and a 200 day simple moving average of $70.06. A. O. Smith Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $58.83 and a fifty-two week high of $80.63. The firm has a market cap of $11.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.36.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $0.90 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.84 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $912.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $928.97 million. A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 29.51% and a net margin of 14.26%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.85 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th will be given a dividend of $0.36 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 30th. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.31%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on AOS. Jefferies Financial Group set a $75.00 price target on shares of A. O. Smith and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Robert W. Baird set a $77.00 target price on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Wall Street Zen upgraded A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 18th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $78.00 price target (up from $72.00) on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $85.00 price objective on A. O. Smith and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $78.00.

About A. O. Smith

A. O. Smith Corporation, based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is a leading manufacturer of water heating and water treatment products for residential and commercial applications. Since its founding in 1874, the company has built a reputation for producing reliable, energy-efficient water heaters, boilers and pressure vessels. Its product portfolio encompasses gas, electric, condensing and tankless water heaters, as well as specialty boilers designed to meet a variety of building and industrial needs.

The company operates through two primary segments: North America and Asia.