GUARDCAP ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd Has $4.14 Million Stock Position in A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS

GUARDCAP ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd trimmed its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS) by 38.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 60,555 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 37,901 shares during the period. A. O. Smith makes up about 0.1% of GUARDCAP ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 18th biggest position. GUARDCAP ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $4,142,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AOS. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in A. O. Smith by 19.6% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 939,302 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $61,393,000 after buying an additional 154,201 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in A. O. Smith by 78.0% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 963 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $63,000 after buying an additional 422 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new position in A. O. Smith during the second quarter valued at $5,212,000. California Public Employees Retirement System increased its position in A. O. Smith by 11.4% in the 2nd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 211,176 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $13,847,000 after purchasing an additional 21,657 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia increased its position in A. O. Smith by 165.3% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 32,874 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,156,000 after purchasing an additional 20,485 shares during the last quarter. 76.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

A. O. Smith Stock Performance

Shares of AOS stock opened at $56.80 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.00. A. O. Smith Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $54.16 and a fifty-two week high of $81.86. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $62.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $67.65. The firm has a market cap of $7.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.11, a PEG ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.23.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 net margin of 13.84% and a return on equity of 28.42%. The business’s revenue was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.95 EPS. A. O. Smith has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.600-3.900 EPS. Analysts predict that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on AOS shares. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on A. O. Smith from $69.00 to $61.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Zacks Research lowered A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings lowered A. O. Smith from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and issued a $60.00 target price (down from $65.00) on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, DA Davidson set a $67.00 target price on A. O. Smith and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, A. O. Smith presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $69.89.

Insider Activity at A. O. Smith

In other news, SVP Darrell W. Schuh sold 1,104 shares of the 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 transaction, the senior vice president owned 2,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $163,732.39. This represents a 33.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

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.