Madison Asset Management LLC Sells 66,801 Shares of A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS

Madison Asset Management LLC trimmed its stake in shares of A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS) by 5.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,142,604 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 66,801 shares during the quarter. Madison Asset Management LLC’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $75,343,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in A. O. Smith in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $97,101,000. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 220.4% during the fourth quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 1,022,299 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $68,371,000 after buying an additional 703,186 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,096,018 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,009,622,000 after buying an additional 683,176 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 93.2% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,279,356 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $85,563,000 after acquiring an additional 617,179 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd lifted its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 655.5% in 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 acquiring an additional 616,638 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

A. O. Smith Stock Performance

Shares of A. O. Smith stock opened at $58.91 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. A. O. Smith Corporation has a twelve month low of $54.16 and a twelve month high of $81.86. The stock has a market cap of $8.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.16. The company’s fifty day moving average is $58.89 and its 200 day moving average is $65.86.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last announced its earnings results 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 company had revenue of $945.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $974.06 million. A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 28.42% and a net margin of 13.84%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.95 earnings per share. A. O. Smith has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.600-3.900 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.74 EPS for the current year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated an “underweight” rating and set a $60.00 price objective (down from $65.00) on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Weiss Ratings downgraded A. O. Smith from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on A. O. Smith from $69.00 to $61.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Zacks Research cut A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $76.00 price objective on A. O. Smith and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, A. O. Smith currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $69.44.

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.