KBC Group NV Sells 152,196 Shares of A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS

KBC Group NV trimmed its position in A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS) by 25.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 457,115 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 152,196 shares during the period. KBC Group NV owned about 0.33% of A. O. Smith worth $30,142,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its position in A. O. Smith by 3,481.8% in the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 394 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 383 shares during the period. Torren Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in A. O. Smith by 67.9% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 487 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the period. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in A. O. Smith during the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

A. O. Smith Trading Down 0.2%

A. O. Smith stock opened at $58.74 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $8.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.62, a PEG ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.00. A. O. Smith Corporation has a 1 year low of $54.16 and a 1 year high of $81.86. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $58.90 and its 200-day moving average price is $65.80.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last issued 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). A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 28.42% and a net margin of 13.84%.The company had revenue of $945.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $974.06 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.95 EPS. A. O. Smith’s revenue was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. A. O. Smith has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.600-3.900 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 31st will be given a dividend of $0.36 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 31st. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.30%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on AOS shares. Weiss Ratings cut A. O. Smith from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Zacks Research cut A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Citigroup cut their price objective on 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. Robert W. Baird set a $70.00 target price on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, DA Davidson set a $67.00 price target on shares of A. O. Smith and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, A. O. Smith has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price 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.