Seizert Capital Partners LLC Sells 4,728 Shares of A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS

Seizert Capital Partners LLC trimmed its stake in A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS) by 4.1% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 110,900 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 4,728 shares during the period. Seizert Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $7,272,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 998.6% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,348,247 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $88,121,000 after buying an additional 1,225,521 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in A. O. Smith by 35.6% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,670,567 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $109,187,000 after acquiring an additional 438,291 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its position in A. O. Smith by 62.3% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,088,103 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $71,118,000 after purchasing an additional 417,667 shares during the period. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. bought a new position in A. O. Smith during the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,211,000. Finally, Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA bought a new position in A. O. Smith during the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,223,000. 76.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

A. O. Smith Stock Performance

Shares of AOS opened at $63.38 on Wednesday. A. O. Smith Corporation has a one year low of $58.83 and a one year high of $77.31. The company has a market cap of $8.83 billion, a PE ratio of 17.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.30. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $69.49 and a 200-day moving average of $68.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.03.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The industrial products company reported $0.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $942.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $946.33 million. A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 29.34% and a net margin of 13.85%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.82 earnings per share. A. O. Smith has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.700-3.850 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 17th. Investors of record on Friday, October 31st were given a $0.36 dividend. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 31st. This is an increase from A. O. Smith’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. A. O. Smith’s payout ratio is 38.81%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AOS has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Robert W. Baird set a $76.00 price target on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $76.00 price objective (up from $74.00) on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $80.00 target price on A. O. Smith and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $76.71.

A. O. Smith Company 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.