Scientech Research LLC Invests $990,000 in A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS

Scientech Research LLC acquired a new position in shares of A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 15,150 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $990,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the first quarter worth approximately $26,000. National Pension Service increased its position in A. O. Smith by 74.8% during the first quarter. National Pension Service now owns 458 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares during the period. TCTC Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in A. O. Smith by 69.9% in 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 grew its position in A. O. Smith by 161.7% in the 1st quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 539 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 333 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the 1st quarter worth about $64,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.10% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Chairman Kevin J. Wheeler sold 22,200 shares of A. O. Smith 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 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.76% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus increased 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 note on Monday, July 21st. Wall Street Zen raised A. O. Smith from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $76.00 price objective (up from $74.00) on shares of A. O. Smith in a report 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 target price on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Saturday, August 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $77.43.

A. O. Smith Trading Up 2.6%

NYSE:AOS traded up $1.89 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $74.38. 1,673,138 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,510,679. The company has a market capitalization of $10.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The company's 50 day moving average is $71.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $67.56. A. O. Smith Corporation has a twelve month low of $58.83 and a twelve month high of $92.06.

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 return on equity of 28.42% and a net margin of 13.68%.The company had revenue of $1.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $997.89 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $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. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 31st were given 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 yield of 1.8%. A. O. Smith's dividend payout ratio is presently 37.88%.

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.