Blue Trust Inc. Raises Stake in A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS

Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS) by 7.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,804 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 576 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $577,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. 111 Capital boosted its position in A. O. Smith by 214.7% in the second quarter. 111 Capital now owns 15,736 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,032,000 after buying an additional 10,735 shares during the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. boosted its position in A. O. Smith by 439.4% in the second quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 712 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 580 shares during the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in A. O. Smith by 8.0% in the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 11,328 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $743,000 after purchasing an additional 835 shares in the last quarter. Precedent Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in A. O. Smith by 6.3% in the 2nd quarter. Precedent Wealth Partners LLC now owns 25,592 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,678,000 after purchasing an additional 1,527 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Atwater Malick LLC boosted its position in A. O. Smith by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Atwater Malick LLC now owns 116,253 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $7,623,000 after purchasing an additional 530 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

A. O. Smith Stock Down 2.9%

Shares of NYSE:AOS opened at $67.68 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The business has a fifty day moving average of $72.09 and a two-hundred day moving average of $68.40. The stock has a market cap of $9.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.85, a PEG ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.30. A. O. Smith Corporation has a 52-week low of $58.83 and a 52-week high of $83.20.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The industrial products company reported $1.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $1.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $997.89 million. A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 28.42% and a net margin of 13.68%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.06 EPS. A. O. Smith has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.700-3.900 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on AOS. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on A. O. Smith from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 21st. Wall Street Zen lowered A. O. Smith from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, September 26th. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their target price on A. O. Smith from $76.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued 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.

Insider Activity

In related news, Chairman Kevin J. Wheeler sold 22,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 30th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,172,105.22. This trade represents a 18.07% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.76% of the company’s stock.

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.