Benjamin Edwards Inc. Boosts Stake in A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS

Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its position in shares of A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS) by 27.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 101,087 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 22,019 shares during the quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc.’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $7,421,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AOS. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in A. O. Smith during the 2nd quarter worth about $91,939,000. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 54.3% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,080,288 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $136,405,000 after purchasing an additional 732,041 shares during the period. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd increased its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 655.5% during the 2nd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 710,716 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $46,602,000 after purchasing an additional 616,638 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 521.1% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 581,070 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $38,101,000 after purchasing an additional 487,513 shares during the period. Finally, Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 171.6% in the 2nd quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 667,655 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $43,778,000 after purchasing an additional 421,845 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

A. O. Smith Stock Up 4.8%

Shares of NYSE:AOS opened at $70.36 on Friday. A. O. Smith Corporation has a twelve month low of $58.83 and a twelve month high of $77.31. The company has a market capitalization of $9.80 billion, a PE ratio of 18.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $66.74 and a 200-day simple moving average of $69.21.

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

A. O. Smith Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 31st were paid a $0.36 dividend. This is a boost from A. O. Smith’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 31st. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.81%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on AOS. Stifel Nicolaus set a $80.00 target price on A. O. Smith and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $77.00 to $72.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. DA Davidson restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $75.00 price target on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Wednesday, December 24th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, A. O. Smith presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $76.71.

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.