Faithward Advisors LLC Takes Position in A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS

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 stake in shares of A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure 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.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new position in A. O. Smith during the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. National Pension Service boosted 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 during the period. TCTC Holdings LLC boosted 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 during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its stake in A. O. Smith by 161.7% during the 1st quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 539 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 333 shares during the period. Finally, Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new position in A. O. Smith during the 1st quarter valued at about $64,000. 76.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, Chairman Kevin J. Wheeler sold 22,200 shares of the business'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 sale, the chairman owned 100,647 shares in the company, valued at $7,172,105.22. The trade was a 18.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.76% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

AOS stock traded up $1.89 on Thursday, hitting $74.38. 1,673,138 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 991,240. A. O. Smith Corporation has a 1-year low of $58.83 and a 1-year high of $92.06. The stock has a market cap of $10.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.25. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $71.16 and a 200-day moving average of $67.61. 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 released its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The industrial products company reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.10. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 13.68% and a return on equity of 28.42%. The business had revenue of $1.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $997.89 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.06 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue 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. On average, analysts forecast that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 31st were issued a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 31st. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. A. O. Smith's payout ratio is currently 37.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on AOS. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $76.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $76.00 price target (up from $74.00) on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Monday, July 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated 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 target for the company. Oppenheimer upped their price target 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. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target 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.