Zacks Research Has Negative View of A. O. Smith Q1 Earnings

A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS) – Zacks Research reduced their Q1 2028 earnings estimates for shares of A. O. Smith in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, March 31st. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the industrial products company will earn $1.15 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $1.22. The consensus estimate for A. O. Smith’s current full-year earnings is $3.76 per share.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $69.00 price target on shares of A. O. Smith and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $75.00 price objective on A. O. Smith and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating and set a $78.00 target price (up from $72.00) on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $85.00 target price on A. O. Smith and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Wednesday, December 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $77.00.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AOS opened at $65.06 on Thursday. A. O. Smith has a twelve month low of $58.83 and a twelve month high of $81.86. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $72.56 and a 200 day simple moving average of $70.02. The company has a market capitalization of $9.00 billion, a PE ratio of 16.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $0.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.84 by $0.06. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 14.26% and a return on equity of 29.51%. The firm had revenue of $912.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $928.97 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.85 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .0% on a year-over-year basis.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th were paid a $0.36 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 30th. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.31%.

Insider Activity at A. O. Smith

In related 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 $163,732.39. The trade was a 33.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,096,018 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,009,622,000 after purchasing an additional 683,176 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in A. O. Smith by 8.4% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,911,495 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $395,361,000 after purchasing an additional 458,257 shares during the period. Impax Asset Management Group plc increased its stake in A. O. Smith by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 4,850,158 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $356,050,000 after purchasing an additional 157,856 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in A. O. Smith by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,559,612 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $304,947,000 after purchasing an additional 37,621 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in A. O. Smith by 54.2% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,208,831 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $235,560,000 after buying an additional 1,128,543 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.10% 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.