Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. Decreases Stake in A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS

Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. reduced its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS) by 1.9% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 199,428 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 3,949 shares during the period. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P.’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $13,076,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Financial Advocates Investment Management lifted its stake in A. O. Smith by 2.5% during the 2nd quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 7,040 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $462,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the period. Advisory Alpha LLC raised its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 5.4% during the first quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC now owns 3,642 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $238,000 after purchasing an additional 188 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service lifted 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 valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares during the period. TCTC Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in A. O. Smith by 69.9% in the first quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 491 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Summit Investment Advisors Inc. grew its position in A. O. Smith by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 11,765 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $769,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares during the period. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

A. O. Smith Stock Up 2.0%

NYSE AOS opened at $65.39 on Wednesday. A. O. Smith Corporation has a 52 week low of $58.83 and a 52 week high of $77.31. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The company has a market capitalization of $9.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.30. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $68.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $68.87.

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

A. O. Smith Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 31st were given a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 31st. This is a positive change from A. O. Smith’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. A. O. Smith’s payout ratio is 38.81%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

About A. O. Smith

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.