Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. purchased a new stake in A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS – Free Report) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm purchased 14,260 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $954,000.
Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Rothschild Investment LLC raised its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 3,125.0% in the third quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 387 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 375 shares during the last quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 3,481.8% in the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 394 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 383 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of A. O. Smith in the third quarter valued at about $33,000. Torren Management LLC bought a new position in shares of A. O. Smith in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of A. O. Smith in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. 76.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Zacks Research cut A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. DA Davidson set a $67.00 price objective on A. O. Smith and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $80.00 price objective on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Friday, May 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on A. O. Smith from $69.00 to $61.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued an “underweight” rating and set a $60.00 price objective (down from $65.00) on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Friday, May 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $69.89.
Insider Activity
In other news, SVP Darrell W. Schuh sold 1,104 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.39, for a total transaction of $82,126.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 2,201 shares in the company, valued at approximately $163,732.39. The trade was a 33.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.
More A. O. Smith News
Here are the key news stories impacting A. O. Smith this week:
- Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research cut A. O. Smith’s FY2026 EPS estimate to $3.79 from $4.01, signaling weaker expected full-year profitability. Article Title
- Negative Sentiment: The firm also lowered FY2027 EPS to $4.12 from $4.37 and FY2028 EPS to $4.61 from $4.87, suggesting softer longer-term earnings growth expectations.
- Negative Sentiment: Quarterly estimates were trimmed across several periods, including Q2 2026 ($1.01 vs. $1.10), Q3 2026 ($0.96 vs. $0.99), Q1 2027 ($0.98 vs. $1.04), Q2 2027 ($1.09 vs. $1.20), Q3 2027 ($1.04 vs. $1.09), and Q4 2027 ($1.01 vs. $1.05), reinforcing the bearish tone.
- Neutral Sentiment: Zacks Research kept a Strong Sell rating on AOS, which adds to sentiment headwinds but does not by itself change fundamentals.
- Neutral Sentiment: The new estimates are still close to the current consensus FY2026 EPS of $3.78, so the market may be focused more on the downgrade trend than on a dramatic forecast miss.
A. O. Smith Stock Performance
Shares of NYSE:AOS opened at $57.34 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.23. A. O. Smith Corporation has a 1-year low of $54.16 and a 1-year high of $81.86. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $63.05 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $67.93. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.
A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.94 by ($0.09). The company had revenue of $945.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $974.06 million. A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 28.42% and a net margin of 13.84%.A. O. Smith’s quarterly revenue was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.95 earnings per share. A. O. Smith has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.600-3.900 EPS. Equities analysts predict that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.78 earnings per share for the current year.
A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 30th were given a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 30th. A. O. Smith’s payout ratio is presently 38.30%.
About A. O. Smith
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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