Weiss Asset Management LP Has $2.10 Million Holdings in A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS

Key Points

• Weiss Asset Management reduced its A. O. Smith position by 35.9% in the first quarter, selling 17,819 shares and retaining 31,815 shares valued at approximately $2.10 million. Institutional investors collectively own 76.1% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment is cautious: A. O. Smith has a consensus “Reduce” rating and an average price target of $69.44, following several target-price cuts and underweight or sell ratings.
• The company’s latest quarterly results missed expectations, with EPS of $0.85 versus the $0.94 consensus and revenue of $945.6 million. A. O. Smith declared a quarterly dividend of $0.36 per share, yielding about 2.4% annually.

Weiss Asset Management LP decreased its position in shares of A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) by 35.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 31,815 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 17,819 shares during the quarter. Weiss Asset Management LP's holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $2,098,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Prospera Financial Services Inc increased its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 3,261 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $218,000 after buying an additional 126 shares during the period. Grey Ledge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in A. O. Smith by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Grey Ledge Advisors LLC now owns 8,966 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $600,000 after buying an additional 128 shares during the period. Eukles Asset Management lifted its holdings in A. O. Smith by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Eukles Asset Management now owns 29,240 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,956,000 after buying an additional 151 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its position in A. O. Smith by 31.8% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 642 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Founders Financial Alliance LLC grew its holdings in A. O. Smith by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Founders Financial Alliance LLC now owns 5,607 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $375,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AOS has been the subject of several research analyst reports. DA Davidson set a $67.00 price objective on A. O. Smith and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on A. O. Smith from $69.00 to $61.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated an "underweight" rating and issued a $60.00 target price (down from $65.00) on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Friday, May 15th. Weiss Ratings lowered A. O. Smith from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $76.00 price target on A. O. Smith and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $69.44.

A. O. Smith Stock Down 0.0%

AOS stock opened at $60.77 on Monday. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $59.07 and its 200 day simple moving average is $65.63. The company has a market cap of $8.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.16. 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 Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $54.16 and a fifty-two week high of $81.86.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.94 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $945.60 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $974.06 million. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 13.84% and a return on equity of 28.42%. The company's revenue was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.95 EPS. A. O. Smith has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.600-3.900 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 17th. Investors of record on Friday, July 31st will be issued a $0.36 dividend. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 31st. A. O. Smith's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.30%.

A. O. Smith Profile

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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