Level Four Advisory Services LLC Boosts Stake in A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS

Key Points

• Level Four Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in A. O. Smith Corporation by 30.4%, owning 84,838 shares valued at $5,545,000 following additional purchases.
• A. O. Smith reported strong quarterly earnings, with an EPS of $1.07, surpassing analysts' expectations while also announcing a quarterly dividend of $0.34 per share.
• Multiple institutional investors, including Dimensional Fund Advisors and Raymond James Financial, have recently adjusted their holdings, illustrating growing institutional interest in A. O. Smith.

Level Four Advisory Services LLC grew its position in A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) by 30.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 84,838 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 19,757 shares during the quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC owned about 0.06% of A. O. Smith worth $5,545,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. National Pension Service grew its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 74.8% during the first quarter. National Pension Service now owns 458 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 196 shares during the last quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC grew its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 69.9% during the first quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 491 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 161.7% during the first quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 539 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 333 shares during the last quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the first quarter valued at $64,000. Finally, Intact Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the first quarter valued at $72,000. 76.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

NYSE AOS traded up $0.09 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $72.63. 241,707 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,524,256. A. O. Smith Corporation has a 52-week low of $58.83 and a 52-week high of $92.06. The company has a market capitalization of $10.18 billion, a PE ratio of 20.23, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 1.65 and a quick ratio of 1.03. The firm's 50-day moving average is $69.28 and its 200-day moving average is $67.08.

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 earnings per share 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 analysts' expectations of $997.89 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.06 EPS. The business'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. Equities 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 paid a $0.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 31st. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. A. O. Smith's dividend payout ratio is 37.88%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AOS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of A. O. Smith from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $70.00 target price for the company. 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 report on Friday, July 25th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, A. O. Smith currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $77.43.

Insider Buying and Selling at A. O. Smith

In related news, Chairman Kevin J. Wheeler sold 22,200 shares of the 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 transaction, the chairman owned 100,647 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,172,105.22. This trade represents a 18.07% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.76% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.