Lafayette Investments Inc. Has $3.41 Million Stake in A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS

Lafayette Investments Inc. increased its position in A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS) by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 51,923 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 388 shares during the quarter. Lafayette Investments Inc.’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $3,405,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the first quarter valued at $26,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC increased its holdings in A. O. Smith by 143.7% in the second quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 446 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 263 shares during the period. National Pension Service raised its position 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 worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares during the last quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in A. O. Smith by 69.9% during the 1st quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 491 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 202 shares during the period. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 161.7% in the 1st quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 539 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 333 shares during the last quarter. 76.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

AOS opened at $69.89 on Tuesday. A. O. Smith Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $58.83 and a fifty-two week high of $80.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.65. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $71.92 and a 200 day moving average of $68.59. The firm has a market cap of $9.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.47, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.30.

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

A. O. Smith Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 17th. Investors of record on Friday, October 31st will be issued a $0.36 dividend. This is a boost from A. O. Smith’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 31st. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. A. O. Smith’s payout ratio is 37.88%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other A. O. Smith news, Chairman Kevin J. Wheeler sold 22,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.26, for a total transaction of $1,581,972.00. Following the sale, the chairman owned 100,647 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,172,105.22. The trade was a 18.07% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.76% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on AOS shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $76.00 price objective (up from $74.00) on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 21st. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $76.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, A. O. Smith currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $77.43.

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.