Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. Has $631,000 Stock Position in A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS)

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) by 52.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & 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 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AOS. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. bought a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Isthmus Partners LLC bought a new position in A. O. Smith during the second quarter worth $27,000. Quarry LP increased its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 214.9% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 359 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the last quarter. Waldron Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of A. O. Smith in the third quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Wolff Wiese Magana LLC acquired a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the 3rd quarter worth about $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

A. O. Smith Stock Performance

NYSE:AOS opened at $72.22 on Friday. The company 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. A. O. Smith Co. has a fifty-two week low of $72.15 and a fifty-two week high of $92.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.67. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $80.59 and a 200-day moving average price of $82.24.

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, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.82. The firm had revenue of $957.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $960.36 million. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 14.41% and a return on equity of 30.09%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.90 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 31st were paid a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, October 31st. This is a boost from A. O. Smith’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.88%. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio is presently 35.79%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on AOS shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $81.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. DA Davidson cut A. O. Smith from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $80.00 price target for the company. in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective 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. Finally, UBS Group raised A. O. Smith from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $75.00 to $80.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $86.71.

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.