UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC Grows Stock Position in A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS

Key Points

• UBS Asset Management increased its stake in A. O. Smith Corporation by 62.3%, owning approximately 0.77% of the company, valued at $71.1 million.
• A. O. Smith announced a quarterly dividend of $0.34 per share, representing an annualized yield of 1.9%.
• The company reported $1.07 earnings per share in its latest quarterly earnings, exceeding analysts' expectations of $0.97.

UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its holdings in A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) by 62.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,088,103 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 417,667 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC owned approximately 0.77% of A. O. Smith worth $71,118,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new stake in A. O. Smith during the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. National Pension Service increased its stake in A. O. Smith by 74.8% during the 1st quarter. National Pension Service now owns 458 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC increased its stake in A. O. Smith by 69.9% during the 1st quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 491 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 161.7% in the first quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 539 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 333 shares during the period. Finally, Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the first quarter worth approximately $64,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.10% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at A. O. Smith

In other A. O. Smith news, Chairman Kevin J. Wheeler sold 22,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.26, for a total transaction of $1,581,972.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman owned 100,647 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,172,105.22. This trade represents a 18.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.76% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

A. O. Smith Trading Up 1.0%

A. O. Smith stock traded up $0.75 during trading on Monday, reaching $73.32. 799,622 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,005,215. 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 $10.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.42, a PEG ratio of 1.58 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 stock's 50 day simple moving average is $71.36 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $67.72.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The industrial products company reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $1.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $997.89 million. A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 28.42% and a net margin of 13.68%.The firm's revenue was down 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.06 earnings per share. A. O. Smith has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.700-3.900 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect 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 was paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 31st were paid a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 31st. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. A. O. Smith's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.88%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

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.