Renaissance Technologies LLC Boosts Position in A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS

Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its position in shares of A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS) by 17.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 744,400 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 111,700 shares during the quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned approximately 0.54% of A. O. Smith worth $49,086,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of AOS. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV grew its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 3,481.8% in the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 394 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 383 shares during the period. Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in A. O. Smith by 67.9% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 487 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AOS has been the subject of several analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on A. O. Smith from $69.00 to $61.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Weiss Ratings downgraded A. O. Smith from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. DA Davidson set a $67.00 price target on A. O. Smith and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $76.00 price target on A. O. Smith and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $68.62.

A. O. Smith Stock Performance

NYSE:AOS opened at $62.51 on Tuesday. A. O. Smith Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $54.16 and a fifty-two week high of $81.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.56. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $59.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $65.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.63, a PEG ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.16.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.94 by ($0.09). A. O. Smith had a net margin of 13.84% and a return on equity of 28.42%. The firm had revenue of $945.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $974.06 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.95 EPS. 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. Equities research analysts forecast that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.74 EPS for the current year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 17th. Investors of record on Friday, July 31st will be issued a $0.36 dividend. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 31st. A. O. Smith’s payout ratio is currently 38.30%.

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.