Blue Rock Wealth Management LLC Invests $261,000 in A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS

Key Points

• Blue Rock Wealth Management LLC has acquired a new stake in A. O. Smith Corporation, purchasing 4,000 shares valued at approximately $261,000 during the first quarter.
• A. O. Smith's stock ratings have seen fluctuations, with Wall Street Zen upgrading it to "buy" and Stifel Nicolaus raising the price target from $78 to $81.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.34 per share, reflecting a 1.9% yield, with a payout ratio of 37.88% as of the end of July.

Blue Rock Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 4,000 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $261,000.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new position in shares of A. O. Smith in the first quarter worth $26,000. National Pension Service increased its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 74.8% in the first quarter. National Pension Service now owns 458 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares during the period. TCTC Holdings LLC increased its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 69.9% in the first quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 491 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its position 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 purchasing an additional 333 shares during the period. Finally, Ransom Advisory Ltd bought a new position in shares of A. O. Smith in the first quarter worth $48,000. Institutional investors own 76.10% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other A. O. Smith news, Chairman Kevin J. Wheeler sold 22,200 shares of the business's 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 transaction, the chairman directly owned 100,647 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,172,105.22. The trade was a 18.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.76% of the company's stock.

A. O. Smith Trading Down 2.3%

Shares of A. O. Smith stock traded down $1.70 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $72.60. The company had a trading volume of 766,673 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,029,460. The firm has a market cap of $10.17 billion, a PE ratio of 20.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.25. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $71.25 and a 200 day moving average price of $67.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 1.65 and a quick ratio of 1.03. A. O. Smith Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $58.83 and a fifty-two week high of $92.06.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The industrial products company reported $1.07 earnings per share (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 net margin of 13.68% and a return on equity of 28.42%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.06 EPS. A. O. Smith has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.700-3.900 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.76 earnings per share for the current 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 given a $0.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 31st. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. A. O. Smith's payout ratio is 37.88%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on AOS shares. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective 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. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $76.00 price objective (up from $74.00) on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on A. O. Smith from $76.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on 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. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their price target on A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $77.43.

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.