Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc. Sells 75,000 Shares of A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS

Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc. lowered its stake in shares of A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS) by 12.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 515,333 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 75,000 shares during the quarter. Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $34,465,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rothschild Investment LLC boosted its position in A. O. Smith by 3,125.0% during the third quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 387 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 375 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in A. O. Smith in the third quarter worth about $33,000. Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in A. O. Smith in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in A. O. Smith in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC boosted 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 worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Darrell W. Schuh sold 1,104 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.39, for a total value of $82,126.56. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 2,201 shares in the company, valued at $163,732.39. This represents a 33.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on AOS. Zacks Research downgraded A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. DA Davidson set a $67.00 price target on A. O. Smith and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $80.00 price target on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Friday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus set a $75.00 price target on A. O. Smith in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded A. O. Smith from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $70.44.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AOS opened at $58.08 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $65.52 and its 200 day moving average price is $68.53. The firm has a market cap of $8.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.23. A. O. Smith Corporation has a 52 week low of $57.49 and a 52 week high of $81.86. 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 (NYSE:AOS) last issued 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). The firm had revenue of $945.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $974.06 million. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 13.84% and a return on equity of 28.42%. A. O. Smith’s quarterly revenue was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.95 EPS. A. O. Smith has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.600-3.900 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.78 earnings per share for the current year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 30th will be given a $0.36 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 30th. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio is currently 38.30%.

About A. O. Smith

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.