Inspire Investing LLC Boosts Stake in A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS

Inspire Investing LLC raised its position in A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS) by 9.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 18,066 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,533 shares during the quarter. Inspire Investing LLC’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $1,181,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the first quarter worth approximately $26,000. National Pension Service increased 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 period. TCTC Holdings LLC increased its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 69.9% during the first quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 491 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 202 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 161.7% during the first quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 539 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 333 shares during the period. Finally, Ransom Advisory Ltd purchased a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the first quarter worth approximately $48,000. 76.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at A. O. Smith

In other news, Chairman Kevin J. Wheeler sold 22,200 shares of A. O. Smith stock in a transaction 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 directly owned 100,647 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,172,105.22. The trade was a 18.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.76% of the company’s stock.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

NYSE AOS opened at $72.60 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $71.25 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $67.65. The company has a current ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. A. O. Smith Corporation has a 12-month low of $58.83 and a 12-month high of $92.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.25.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The industrial products company reported $1.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.10. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 13.68% and a return on equity of 28.42%. The business had revenue of $1.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $997.89 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.06 earnings per share. 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. Analysts forecast that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 31st were paid a dividend of $0.34 per share. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 31st. A. O. Smith’s payout ratio is presently 37.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $76.00 target price (up from $74.00) on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Saturday, August 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $70.00 target price on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective 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. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $76.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $77.43.

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.