Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc. Increases Holdings in A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS

Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its position in A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS) by 4.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 590,333 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 25,400 shares during the quarter. A. O. Smith comprises 1.3% of Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 29th largest position. Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc. owned approximately 0.42% of A. O. Smith worth $38,708,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in A. O. Smith by 9.7% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 178,543 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $11,670,000 after purchasing an additional 15,769 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in A. O. Smith by 41.6% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 7,089 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $463,000 after buying an additional 2,084 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its position in A. O. Smith by 75.8% in the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 402,039 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,277,000 after purchasing an additional 173,366 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its position in A. O. Smith by 18.3% in the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 8,085 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $528,000 after purchasing an additional 1,251 shares during the period. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in A. O. Smith by 3.3% in the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 5,532 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $363,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares during the period. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on A. O. Smith from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 21st. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $76.00 target price (up from $74.00) on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on A. O. Smith from $76.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on A. O. Smith in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $70.00 target price on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, A. O. Smith has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $77.43.

A. O. Smith Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AOS opened at $69.89 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $71.92 and a 200-day simple moving average of $68.59. The company has a market cap of $9.79 billion, a PE ratio of 19.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.30. A. O. Smith Corporation has a 12-month low of $58.83 and a 12-month high of $80.26.

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

A. O. Smith Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 31st will be issued 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 is Friday, October 31st. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.88%.

Insider Transactions at A. O. Smith

In related news, Chairman Kevin J. Wheeler sold 22,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.26, for a total value of $1,581,972.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman owned 100,647 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,172,105.22. This trade represents a 18.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.76% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

A. O. Smith Company 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.