Fisher Asset Management LLC Cuts Stock Position in A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS

Fisher Asset Management LLC trimmed its holdings in A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS) by 97.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 40,144 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,786,000 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $2,632,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in A. O. Smith in the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 143.7% during the second quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 446 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 263 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 44,400.0% in the second quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 445 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 444 shares in the last quarter. National Pension Service boosted its position 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 worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P bought a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the second quarter worth $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 18th. Robert W. Baird set a $76.00 price target on A. O. Smith in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $80.00 price objective on A. O. Smith and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on A. O. Smith from $77.00 to $72.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, A. O. Smith presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $76.71.

A. O. Smith Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of NYSE AOS opened at $68.03 on Friday. A. O. Smith Corporation has a 1-year low of $58.83 and a 1-year high of $77.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 0.95. The business’s 50 day moving average is $67.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $68.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.34, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.34.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The industrial products company reported $0.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $942.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $946.33 million. A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 29.34% and a net margin of 13.85%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.82 EPS. A. O. Smith has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.700-3.850 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.76 EPS for the current year.

A. O. Smith Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 31st were given a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. This is a positive change from A. O. Smith’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 31st. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.81%.

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.