Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. Cuts Stake in A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS

Key Points

• Oppenheimer & Co. cut its stake in A. O. Smith (AOS) by 61% in Q4, selling 56,982 shares and ending the quarter with 36,465 shares worth $2.439 million.
• A. O. Smith missed quarterly estimates, reporting $0.85 EPS vs. $0.94 expected and $945.6M revenue vs. $974.06M expected, and set FY2026 guidance of $3.60–$3.90 EPS (analysts average ~3.85).
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.36 (annualized $1.44, ~2.4% yield); Wall Street ratings are mixed with most analysts at "Hold" and an average price target of $70.44.

Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lowered its position in A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) by 61.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 36,465 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 56,982 shares during the quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.'s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $2,439,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of AOS. WealthPLAN Partners LLC grew its position in A. O. Smith by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. WealthPLAN Partners LLC now owns 12,080 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $887,000 after acquiring an additional 158 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in A. O. Smith by 17.3% during the 3rd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,130 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $83,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in A. O. Smith by 24.8% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 871 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $64,000 after acquiring an additional 173 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Trust Co grew its position in A. O. Smith by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. Fiduciary Trust Co now owns 4,072 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $299,000 after acquiring an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in A. O. Smith by 67.9% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 487 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.10% of the company's stock.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

Shares of AOS stock opened at $58.91 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $8.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.23. A. O. Smith Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $58.47 and a fifty-two week high of $81.86. The business's 50 day moving average price is $67.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $68.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.56.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.94 by ($0.09). The business had revenue of $945.60 million during 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 quarterly revenue was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.95 earnings per share. A. O. Smith has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.600-3.900 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.85 earnings per share for the current year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 30th will be given a dividend of $0.36 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 30th. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. A. O. Smith's payout ratio is currently 37.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling at A. O. Smith

In related news, SVP Darrell W. Schuh sold 1,104 shares of A. O. Smith stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.39, for a total transaction of $82,126.56. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 2,201 shares in the company, valued at $163,732.39. The trade was a 33.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group set a $75.00 price target on A. O. Smith and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Citigroup cut their price objective on A. O. Smith from $74.00 to $65.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Oppenheimer reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $80.00 price objective on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Friday. Wall Street Zen lowered A. O. Smith from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on A. O. Smith from $75.00 to $65.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $70.44.

About A. O. Smith

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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