Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS) by 204.2% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 23,509 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 15,782 shares during the period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $1,572,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in A. O. Smith by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,096,018 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,009,622,000 after buying an additional 683,176 shares in the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc lifted its holdings in A. O. Smith by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 4,850,158 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $356,050,000 after buying an additional 157,856 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in A. O. Smith by 54.2% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,208,831 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $235,560,000 after buying an additional 1,128,543 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in A. O. Smith by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,508,947 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $184,182,000 after buying an additional 109,654 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Earnest Partners LLC lifted its holdings in A. O. Smith by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 2,082,982 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $152,912,000 after buying an additional 36,122 shares in the last quarter. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

A. O. Smith Trading Down 0.7%

NYSE AOS opened at $58.08 on Wednesday. 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 Corporation has a 52 week low of $57.49 and a 52 week high of $81.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.01 billion, a PE ratio of 15.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.23. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $65.52 and a two-hundred day moving average of $68.53.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.94 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $945.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $974.06 million. A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 28.42% and a net margin of 13.84%.The company’s revenue was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.95 EPS. A. O. Smith has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.600-3.900 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 30th. A. O. Smith’s payout ratio is 38.30%.

Insider Transactions at A. O. Smith

In other A. O. Smith news, SVP Darrell W. Schuh sold 1,104 shares of A. O. Smith stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.39, for a total transaction of $82,126.56. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 2,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $163,732.39. The trade was a 33.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AOS has been the topic of several recent research reports. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $80.00 price target on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Friday, May 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on A. O. Smith from $69.00 to $61.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 13th. Zacks Research downgraded A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on A. O. Smith from $75.00 to $65.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, A. O. Smith presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $70.44.

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.