Principal Financial Group Inc. Purchases 29,787 Shares of A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS

Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS) by 23.1% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 158,616 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 29,787 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $10,459,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ProShare Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 2,344,631 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $156,809,000 after purchasing an additional 60,260 shares in the last quarter. Oak Thistle LLC lifted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 230.1% during the fourth quarter. Oak Thistle LLC now owns 36,077 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,413,000 after purchasing an additional 25,147 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 3,725.2% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 259,466 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $17,353,000 after purchasing an additional 252,683 shares in the last quarter. ING Groep NV purchased a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the fourth quarter valued at $980,000. Finally, Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,179,709 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $78,899,000 after buying an additional 43,320 shares during the last quarter. 76.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

A. O. Smith Stock Up 2.2%

A. O. Smith stock opened at $60.77 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $8.38 billion, a PE ratio of 16.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.56. A. O. Smith Corporation has a one year low of $54.16 and a one year high of $81.86. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $59.07 and a 200 day moving average of $65.65.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.85 earnings per share 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 the consensus estimate of $974.06 million. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 13.84% and a return on equity of 28.42%. The firm’s revenue was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.95 EPS. A. O. Smith has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.600-3.900 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.74 EPS for the current year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on AOS. Oppenheimer set a $75.00 target price on A. O. Smith and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of A. O. Smith from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $74.00 to $65.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $69.00 to $61.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $70.00 price objective on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, A. O. Smith presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average 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.