Vest Financial LLC Cuts Holdings in A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS

Vest Financial LLC lessened its stake in shares of A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS) by 8.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 817,742 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 79,118 shares during the period. A. O. Smith makes up approximately 0.8% of Vest Financial LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 29th largest holding. Vest Financial LLC’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $60,030,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AOS. WealthPLAN Partners LLC raised its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. WealthPLAN Partners LLC now owns 12,080 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $887,000 after acquiring an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC raised its position in A. O. Smith by 37.8% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 613 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares during the period. Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in A. O. Smith by 4.5% in the 2nd quarter. Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,972 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $260,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management increased its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 2.5% in the second quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 7,040 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $462,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HBK Sorce Advisory LLC grew its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 2.3% in the third quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 8,077 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $574,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares during the period. 76.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

A. O. Smith Stock Down 2.7%

A. O. Smith stock opened at $70.55 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.35. A. O. Smith Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $58.83 and a fifty-two week high of $77.31. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $67.62 and its two-hundred day moving average is $69.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 1.54.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The industrial products company reported $0.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $942.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $946.33 million. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 13.85% and a return on equity of 29.34%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.82 earnings per share. A. O. Smith has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.700-3.850 EPS. Analysts predict that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Investors of record on Friday, January 30th will be given a $0.36 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 30th. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.81%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Wednesday, December 24th. Robert W. Baird set a $76.00 price objective on A. O. Smith in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $80.00 price target on shares of A. O. Smith and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $75.00 price target on shares of A. O. Smith and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $76.50.

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.