CIBC Asset Management Inc Buys 363,858 Shares of A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS

Key Points

• CIBC Asset Management boosted its stake in A. O. Smith by 273.9% in the fourth quarter, ending with 496,686 shares valued at about $33.2 million.
• Wall Street sentiment remains cautious: analysts have an average rating of “Reduce” on AOS, with a consensus price target of $69.89 after several firms trimmed targets or kept bearish ratings.
• A. O. Smith reported weaker-than-expected quarterly results, posting EPS of $0.85 versus $0.94 expected and revenue of $945.6 million versus $974.1 million estimated, while also maintaining a quarterly dividend of $0.36 per share.

CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its stake in A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) by 273.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 496,686 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 363,858 shares during the quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc owned 0.36% of A. O. Smith worth $33,157,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Rothschild Investment LLC increased its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 3,125.0% in the 3rd quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 387 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 375 shares during the last quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV increased its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 3,481.8% in the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 394 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 383 shares during the last quarter. Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 67.9% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 487 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. 76.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on AOS. Citigroup lowered their target price on A. O. Smith from $74.00 to $65.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued an "underweight" rating and set a $60.00 target price (down from $65.00) on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $75.00 target price on A. O. Smith in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Oppenheimer reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $80.00 target price on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $70.00 target price on A. O. Smith in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $69.89.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

Shares of AOS opened at $56.76 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.18. A. O. Smith Corporation has a twelve month low of $54.16 and a twelve month high of $81.86. The company has a 50 day moving average of $61.74 and a 200-day moving average of $67.46. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.94 by ($0.09). The business had revenue of $945.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $974.06 million. A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 28.42% and a net margin of 13.84%.A. O. Smith's revenue was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.95 earnings per share. A. O. Smith has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.600-3.900 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 30th were paid a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 30th. A. O. Smith's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.30%.

A. O. Smith Profile

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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