A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS Shares Sold by Heartland Advisors Inc.

Heartland Advisors Inc. lowered its stake in shares of A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS) by 9.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 141,543 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 14,050 shares during the quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. owned approximately 0.10% of A. O. Smith worth $9,466,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its holdings in A. O. Smith by 3,481.8% during the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 394 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 383 shares in the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC raised its holdings in A. O. Smith by 3,125.0% during the third quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 387 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 375 shares in the last quarter. 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. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in A. O. Smith during the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

A. O. Smith Stock Performance

Shares of A. O. Smith stock opened at $57.33 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $60.98 and its 200-day simple moving average is $67.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.25, a PEG ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.18. A. O. Smith Corporation has a 12 month low of $54.16 and a 12 month high of $81.86. 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 (NYSE:AOS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.95 earnings per share. A. O. Smith has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.600-3.900 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.78 earnings per share for the current year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AOS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Robert W. Baird set a $70.00 target price on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Friday, May 1st. 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 report on Friday, May 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut 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 report on Monday, April 13th. Zacks Research cut shares of A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, DA Davidson set a $67.00 target price on shares of A. O. Smith and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Two investment 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 data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $69.33.

More A. O. Smith News

Here are the key news stories impacting A. O. Smith this week:

• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research maintained a Strong Sell rating on A. O. Smith, which can weigh on investor confidence. New Strong Sell Stocks for June 10th
• Negative Sentiment: The firm lowered FY2026 EPS to $3.76 from $3.79, and cut Q2 2026, Q4 2026, and Q1 2027 estimates slightly, signaling softer near-term earnings expectations for the water-heater and plumbing products company.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent estimate cuts also covered Q4 2026 and FY2028, suggesting analysts see only modest earnings growth ahead despite AOS already trading below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages.
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks did nudge up its Q3 2027 and Q4 2027 EPS estimates, but the increases were small and likely not enough to offset the broader negative rating and near-term cuts.
• Positive Sentiment: One market note highlighted A. O. Smith as still undervalued with a strong GF Score, which may be helping support some buying interest after the recent pullback. A.O. Smith Corp (AOS) Stock Up 3.3% and Still Undervalued — GF Score: 84/100

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.