A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) Hits New 52-Week Low - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• 52-week low: A. O. Smith shares hit a new 52-week low of $58.22 (last $58.87) on heavy volume, while analysts maintain a consensus "Hold" with an average price target of $70.44 and Goldman Sachs cutting its target to $61 with a "sell" rating.
• Missed earnings: The company reported $0.85 EPS vs. $0.94 expected and $945.6M revenue vs. $974.1M expected, and set FY2026 guidance of $3.60–$3.90 with analysts forecasting about $3.78.
• Shareholder returns and fundamentals: A. O. Smith declared a $0.36 quarterly dividend (2.4% yield, 38.3% payout ratio) and has a market cap of $8.14B with a P/E around 15.7.

A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week low on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $58.22 and last traded at $58.8720, with a volume of 1462349 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $58.86.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AOS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $69.00 to $61.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $75.00 price objective on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Friday. Oppenheimer reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $80.00 price objective on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Friday. Robert W. Baird set a $70.00 price objective on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Friday. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of A. O. Smith from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, A. O. Smith presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $70.44.

A. O. Smith Stock Up 0.0%

The company's 50 day moving average price is $67.30 and its 200 day moving average price is $68.90. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.23.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.94 by ($0.09). The company had revenue of $945.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $974.06 million. A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 28.42% and a net margin of 13.84%.The company's quarterly revenue was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.95 earnings per share. A. O. Smith has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.600-3.900 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.78 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 Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 30th will be given a dividend of $0.36 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 30th. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. A. O. Smith's payout ratio is currently 38.30%.

Insider Transactions at A. O. Smith

In related news, SVP Darrell W. Schuh sold 1,104 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.39, for a total transaction of $82,126.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 2,201 shares in the company, valued at $163,732.39. The trade was a 33.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Prospera Financial Services Inc lifted its position in A. O. Smith by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 3,261 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $218,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the period. Grey Ledge Advisors LLC lifted its position in A. O. Smith by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Grey Ledge Advisors LLC now owns 8,966 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $600,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the period. Eukles Asset Management lifted its position in A. O. Smith by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Eukles Asset Management now owns 29,240 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,956,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in A. O. Smith by 31.8% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 642 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the period. Finally, Founders Financial Alliance LLC lifted its position in A. O. Smith by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Founders Financial Alliance LLC now owns 5,607 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $375,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the period. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

A. O. Smith Company Profile

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.

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