MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB Boosts Holdings in A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS

Key Points

• MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its stake in A. O. Smith Corporation by 3.0% during the second quarter, now holding 234,202 shares valued at approximately $15.36 million.
• A. O. Smith reported a net margin of 13.68% and a quarterly EPS of $1.07, exceeding estimates, and has set FY 2025 guidance at $3.700-3.900 EPS.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.34, providing an annualized yield of 1.9%, and has a current payout ratio of 37.88%.

MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) by 3.0% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 234,202 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 6,836 shares during the quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB owned 0.16% of A. O. Smith worth $15,357,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AOS. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. National Pension Service raised its position in A. O. Smith by 74.8% during the first quarter. National Pension Service now owns 458 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC raised its position in A. O. Smith by 69.9% during the first quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 491 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 202 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its position in A. O. Smith by 161.7% during the first quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 539 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 333 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ransom Advisory Ltd purchased a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.10% of the company's stock.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

NYSE AOS traded down $0.01 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $73.06. 2,025,689 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,007,065. A. O. Smith Corporation has a 52-week low of $58.83 and a 52-week high of $92.06. The company has a market capitalization of $10.24 billion, a PE ratio of 20.35, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 1.65 and a quick ratio of 1.03. The firm's 50-day moving average is $71.66 and its 200-day moving average is $67.90.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The industrial products company reported $1.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.10. A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 28.42% and a net margin of 13.68%.The business had revenue of $1.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $997.89 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.06 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. A. O. Smith has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.700-3.900 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 31st were paid a $0.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 31st. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. A. O. Smith's dividend payout ratio is 37.88%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AOS has been the subject of several recent research reports. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $76.00 target price (up from $74.00) on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Monday, July 28th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of A. O. Smith from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 22nd. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $76.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on A. O. Smith from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on A. O. Smith in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $70.00 price objective for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $77.43.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Chairman Kevin J. Wheeler sold 22,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.26, for a total value of $1,581,972.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman directly owned 100,647 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,172,105.22. This represents a 18.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.76% of the company's stock.

A. O. Smith Company 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.