4,627 Shares in A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS Bought by Faithward Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Faithward Advisors LLC invested $302,000 in A. O. Smith Corporation by acquiring 4,627 shares in the first quarter, marking a new position for the institutional investor.
• A. O. Smith has seen significant interest from other institutional investors, with 76.10% of its stock currently owned by hedge funds and other institutions.
• Analyst ratings for A. O. Smith vary, with target prices ranging from $70.00 to $82.00, and an average target price of $77.43 reflecting current market sentiment.

Faithward Advisors LLC acquired a new position in A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 4,627 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $302,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. MBB Public Markets I LLC purchased a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the 1st quarter worth $298,000. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co purchased a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the 1st quarter worth $286,000. Caxton Associates LLP purchased a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the 1st quarter worth $3,101,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 19.6% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 939,302 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $61,393,000 after purchasing an additional 154,201 shares in the last quarter. Finally, USS Investment Management Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the 1st quarter worth $1,742,000. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

NYSE AOS traded down $1.70 during trading on Friday, hitting $72.60. 766,673 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,005,215. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. A. O. Smith Corporation has a 12-month low of $58.83 and a 12-month high of $92.06. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $71.25 and a 200-day simple moving average of $67.67. The company has a market capitalization of $10.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.25.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The industrial products company reported $1.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $997.89 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.06 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. A. O. Smith has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.700-3.900 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.76 EPS for the current year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 31st were paid a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 31st. A. O. Smith's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.88%.

Insider Activity at A. O. Smith

In other news, Chairman Kevin J. Wheeler sold 22,200 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.26, for a total value of $1,581,972.00. Following the sale, the chairman directly owned 100,647 shares in the company, valued at $7,172,105.22. The trade was a 18.07% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.76% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on 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. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $76.00 price target (up previously from $74.00) on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on A. O. Smith from $76.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Oppenheimer increased their price target on A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Saturday, August 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, A. O. Smith presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $77.43.

About A. O. Smith

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.