A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS Shares Acquired by First Trust Advisors LP

Key Points

• First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in A. O. Smith by 4.6% to 2,508,947 shares (about 1.80% of the company), with institutional investors owning roughly 76.10% of the stock.
• A. O. Smith topped quarterly EPS estimates ($0.90 vs. $0.84) while revenue was slightly below expectations; the company has a $9.83B market cap, a P/E of 18.41, and pays a $0.36 quarterly dividend (≈2.0% yield).
• Analyst sentiment is mixed with a consensus rating of "Hold" and a $77 average target (two Buys, seven Holds, one Sell), and the stock’s 1-year range is $58.83–$81.86.

First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,508,947 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 109,654 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned about 1.80% of A. O. Smith worth $184,182,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in A. O. Smith by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 14,412,842 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,058,047,000 after buying an additional 182,876 shares during the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc raised its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 3.4% during the third quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 4,850,158 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $356,050,000 after acquiring an additional 157,856 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 54.2% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,208,831 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $235,560,000 after acquiring an additional 1,128,543 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 3.3% in the second quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 2,500,230 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $163,940,000 after acquiring an additional 79,696 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 2.1% in the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,871,694 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $137,393,000 after acquiring an additional 38,694 shares in the last quarter. 76.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

Shares of AOS opened at $71.08 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $73.90 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $70.81. The stock has a market cap of $9.83 billion, a PE ratio of 18.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.33. A. O. Smith Corporation has a 1-year low of $58.83 and a 1-year high of $81.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 1.50 and a quick ratio of 0.94.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $0.90 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.06. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 14.26% and a return on equity of 29.51%. The firm had revenue of $912.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $928.97 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.85 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.76 EPS for the current year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Investors of record on Friday, January 30th were issued a $0.36 dividend. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 30th. A. O. Smith's payout ratio is currently 37.31%.

Insider Transactions at A. O. Smith

In related news, SVP Darrell W. Schuh sold 1,104 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was 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. This trade represents a 33.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.76% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus set a $85.00 target price on shares of A. O. Smith and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $75.00 price target on shares of A. O. Smith and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Wednesday, December 24th. Robert W. Baird set a $77.00 price objective on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $78.00 price objective (up from $72.00) on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Friday, January 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $77.00.

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.

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