Handelsbanken Fonder AB Decreases Stock Position in A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS

Handelsbanken Fonder AB cut its stake in A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS) by 46.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 28,500 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 25,200 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $1,906,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Grey Ledge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in A. O. Smith by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Grey Ledge Advisors LLC now owns 8,966 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $600,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in A. O. Smith by 17.3% in the third quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,130 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $83,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP boosted its holdings in A. O. Smith by 24.8% in the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 871 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $64,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares during the period. Fiduciary Trust Co boosted its holdings in A. O. Smith by 5.0% in the third quarter. Fiduciary Trust Co now owns 4,072 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $299,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares during the period. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in A. O. Smith by 67.9% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 487 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the period. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at A. O. Smith

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 value of $82,126.56. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 2,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $163,732.39. The trade was a 33.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

A. O. Smith Stock Up 0.1%

A. O. Smith stock opened at $57.34 on Tuesday. A. O. Smith Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $54.16 and a fifty-two week high of $81.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.56. The company has a market capitalization of $7.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.25, a PEG ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.23. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $62.86 and a 200-day simple moving average of $67.89.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.94 by ($0.09). A. O. Smith had a net margin of 13.84% and a return on equity of 28.42%. The firm had revenue of $945.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $974.06 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.95 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. A. O. Smith has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.600-3.900 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.78 earnings per share for the current year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 30th were issued a $0.36 dividend. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 30th. A. O. Smith’s payout ratio is presently 38.30%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on AOS shares. Citigroup lowered their price objective on A. O. Smith from $74.00 to $65.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $60.00 price objective (down from $65.00) on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $75.00 price objective on A. O. Smith in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Robert W. Baird set a $70.00 price objective on A. O. Smith in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Zacks Research cut A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $69.89.

A. O. Smith Company Profile

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.