Versor Investments LP Takes $672,000 Position in A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS

Versor Investments LP acquired a new stake in A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 10,253 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $672,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of AOS. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 18.3% in the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 8,085 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $528,000 after acquiring an additional 1,251 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 3.3% in the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 5,532 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $363,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC bought a new position in shares of A. O. Smith in the 1st quarter valued at about $210,000. Private Trust Co. NA grew its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 22.1% in the 1st quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 1,181 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $77,000 after acquiring an additional 214 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas bought a new position in shares of A. O. Smith in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,146,000. Institutional investors own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

A. O. Smith Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of AOS stock opened at $65.63 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $70.96 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $68.99. 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 $9.20 billion, a PE ratio of 17.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.30. A. O. Smith Corporation has a 12-month low of $58.83 and a 12-month high of $77.92.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $942.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $946.33 million. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 13.85% and a return on equity of 29.34%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.82 earnings per share. A. O. Smith has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.700-3.850 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.76 earnings per share for the current year.

A. O. Smith Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 31st will be given a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. This is a boost 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 (DPR) is 38.81%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on AOS shares. Stifel Nicolaus set a $80.00 price objective on A. O. Smith and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Citigroup reduced their price target on A. O. Smith from $77.00 to $72.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $76.00 price target (up previously from $74.00) on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Monday, July 28th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, October 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $77.00.

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.