AlphaQuest LLC Has $207,000 Position in A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS

Key Points

• AlphaQuest LLC reduced its stake in A. O. Smith Corporation by 83.4%, ending the first quarter with 3,166 shares valued at $207,000.
• A. O. Smith's latest earnings report showed an EPS of $1.07, beating estimates by $0.10, though revenue fell 1.3% year-over-year.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.34 per share, reflecting a 1.9% yield and a payout ratio of 37.88%.

AlphaQuest LLC decreased its stake in shares of A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) by 83.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,166 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 15,896 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC's holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $207,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 9.7% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 178,543 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $11,670,000 after purchasing an additional 15,769 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 41.6% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 7,089 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $463,000 after purchasing an additional 2,084 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 75.8% in the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 402,039 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $26,277,000 after purchasing an additional 173,366 shares during the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 18.3% in the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 8,085 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $528,000 after purchasing an additional 1,251 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 3.3% in the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 5,532 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $363,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.10% of the company's stock.

A. O. Smith Trading Up 2.1%

Shares of AOS traded up $1.47 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $72.26. The stock had a trading volume of 498,071 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,511,962. A. O. Smith Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $58.83 and a fifty-two week high of $92.06. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $70.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $67.33. The firm has a market cap of $10.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15.

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 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $1.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $997.89 million. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 13.68% and a return on equity of 28.42%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.06 earnings per share. A. O. Smith has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.700-3.900 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.76 EPS for the current year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 31st were issued a dividend of $0.34 per share. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 31st. A. O. Smith's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.88%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $70.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $76.00 price objective (up previously from $74.00) on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Saturday, August 30th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $77.43.

Insider Activity at A. O. Smith

In related news, Chairman Kevin J. Wheeler sold 22,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 30th. The shares were 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 directly owned 100,647 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,172,105.22. This trade represents a 18.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.76% of the company's stock.

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.