Hsbc Holdings PLC Grows Holdings in A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS

Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS) by 8.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 188,905 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,465 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned approximately 0.14% of A. O. Smith worth $12,432,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the fourth quarter worth about $97,101,000. Madison Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in A. O. Smith during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $80,885,000. Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its position in A. O. Smith by 220.4% during the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 1,022,299 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $68,371,000 after acquiring an additional 703,186 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake 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 valued at $1,009,622,000 after purchasing an additional 683,176 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 93.2% in the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,279,356 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $85,563,000 after purchasing an additional 617,179 shares during the period. 76.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

A. O. Smith Stock Performance

AOS opened at $59.35 on Thursday. A. O. Smith Corporation has a 1-year low of $54.16 and a 1-year high of $81.86. The stock has a market cap of $8.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.16. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $58.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $65.75. 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 posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.94 by ($0.09). A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 28.42% and a net margin of 13.84%.The firm had revenue of $945.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $974.06 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.95 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. A. O. Smith has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.600-3.900 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 31st. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.30%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on AOS shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $69.00 to $61.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Robert W. Baird set a $70.00 price target on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Friday, May 1st. Zacks Research lowered A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $76.00 target price on A. O. Smith and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on A. O. Smith from $74.00 to $65.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $69.44.

A. O. Smith 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.