Ameriflex Group Inc. Grows Stake in A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS

Ameriflex Group Inc. lifted its stake in A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS) by 439.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 712 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 580 shares during the period. Ameriflex Group Inc.’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $46,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in A. O. Smith during the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 143.7% during the 2nd quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 446 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 263 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service boosted its stake in A. O. Smith by 74.8% during the 1st quarter. National Pension Service now owns 458 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares during the last quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC grew its stake in A. O. Smith by 69.9% in the first quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 491 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its holdings in A. O. Smith by 161.7% during the 1st quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 539 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 333 shares during the last quarter. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

A. O. Smith Trading Down 0.2%

NYSE:AOS opened at $73.38 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. A. O. Smith Corporation has a 1-year low of $58.83 and a 1-year high of $88.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.30. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $72.14 and a 200 day simple moving average of $68.27.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The industrial products company reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $1.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $997.89 million. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 13.68% and a return on equity of 28.42%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.06 earnings per share. A. O. Smith has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.700-3.900 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at A. O. Smith

In other news, Chairman Kevin J. Wheeler sold 22,200 shares of A. O. Smith stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.26, for a total transaction of $1,581,972.00. Following the transaction, the chairman owned 100,647 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,172,105.22. The trade was a 18.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.76% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on AOS shares. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on A. O. Smith from $76.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Saturday, September 27th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of A. O. Smith from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, September 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on A. O. Smith in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $70.00 target price for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $77.43.

A. O. Smith Profile

A. O. Smith Corporation manufactures and markets residential and commercial gas and electric water heaters, boilers, heat pumps, tanks, and water treatment products in North America, China, Europe, and India. The company offers water heaters for residences, restaurants, hotels, office buildings, laundries, car washes, and small businesses; boilers for hospitals, schools, hotels, and other large commercial buildings, as well as homes, apartments, and condominiums; and water treatment products comprising point-of-entry water softeners, well water solutions, and whole-home water filtration products, and point-of-use carbon and reverse osmosis products for residences, restaurants, hotels, and offices.