Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Purchases 32,848 Shares of A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund grew its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS) by 60.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 87,081 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 32,848 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $5,742,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV lifted its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 3,481.8% in the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 394 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 383 shares during the period. Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in A. O. Smith during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in A. O. Smith during the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in A. O. Smith in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake 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 buying an additional 197 shares during the period. 76.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

A. O. Smith Stock Down 2.7%

Shares of NYSE:AOS opened at $58.92 on Friday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $58.88 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $65.93. The firm has a market cap of $8.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.67, a PEG ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.56. A. O. Smith Corporation has a 52-week low of $54.16 and a 52-week high of $81.86.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last announced 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 firm had revenue of $945.60 million during 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 company’s revenue was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.95 EPS. A. O. Smith has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.600-3.900 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 17th. Investors of record on Friday, July 31st will be given a $0.36 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 31st. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.30%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on AOS shares. Zacks Research downgraded shares of A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on shares of 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. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $74.00 to $65.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of A. O. Smith from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, DA Davidson set a $67.00 price target on shares of A. O. Smith and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Two 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $69.33.

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.