WealthPlan Investment Management LLC Sells 22,698 Shares of A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS

Key Points

• WealthPlan Investment Management LLC cut its A. O. Smith stake by 51.3% in the fourth quarter, selling 22,698 shares and leaving it with 21,576 shares valued at about $1.44 million.
• A. O. Smith reported weaker-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $0.85 missing estimates of $0.94 and revenue of $945.6 million falling short of expectations.
• The company recently paid a $0.36 quarterly dividend (2.6% yield), while analysts currently have a cautious view overall, with an average rating of “Reduce” and a price target of $69.89.

WealthPlan Investment Management LLC lessened its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) by 51.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,576 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 22,698 shares during the period. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC's holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $1,443,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Rothschild Investment LLC boosted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 3,125.0% during the 3rd quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 387 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 375 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of A. O. Smith in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 67.9% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 487 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.10% of the company's stock.

A. O. Smith Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:AOS opened at $56.01 on Monday. A. O. Smith Corporation has a 12-month low of $55.98 and a 12-month high of $81.86. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The company has a market cap of $7.72 billion, a PE ratio of 14.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.23. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $64.40 and a 200 day moving average of $68.28.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.94 by ($0.09). A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 28.42% and a net margin of 13.84%.The business had revenue of $945.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $974.06 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.95 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. A. O. Smith has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.600-3.900 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.78 EPS for the current year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 30th were issued a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 30th. A. O. Smith's dividend payout ratio is 38.30%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Darrell W. Schuh sold 1,104 shares of the company's 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 of the company's stock, valued at $163,732.39. This represents a 33.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on AOS. DA Davidson set a $67.00 price target on A. O. Smith and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Wall Street Zen downgraded A. O. Smith from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 14th. Robert W. Baird set a $70.00 price target on A. O. Smith in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Oppenheimer restated an "outperform" rating and set a $80.00 price target on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $75.00 price target on A. O. Smith in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, A. O. Smith presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $69.89.

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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