A O Smith Corp vs Lamb Weston Holdings Inc — how do they compare? A O Smith Corp trades at $63.65 (market cap $8.65B), while Lamb Weston Holdings Inc trades at $52.79 (market cap $7.23B). The key difference: A O Smith Corp is the larger of the two by market cap, and Lamb Weston Holdings Inc pays the higher dividend (2.89%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| AOS | LW | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $8.65B | $7.23B |
Sector | Industrials | Consumer Staples |
52-Week High | $80.47 | $66.57 |
52-Week Low | $55.78 | $38.48 |
Enterprise Value | $9.15B | $11.10B |
Dividend Yield | 2.26% | 2.89% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
A.O. Smith Corporation (AOS) trades at $62.53, showing modest daily gains of 0.19%. The stock maintains strong profitability with 13.15% net margins and 27.13% ROE, though recent Q1 2026 earnings missed expectations. Technical indicators suggest a bullish trend with the current price near key support at $62. Recent leadership transition with Kevin Wheeler's retirement and Stephen Shafer assuming chairman role adds management continuity.
The outlook remains cautiously optimistic with a $67.25 consensus price target offering 7.5% upside potential. Strong North American performance and dividend growth provide support, but higher input costs and weaker China demand present headwinds. The stock's valuation appears reasonable at 17.74 P/E, though recent Zacks Strong Sell ratings warrant monitoring.
Lamb Weston (LW) trades at $53.10, up 2.49% with a bullish technical signal. The stock shows strong earnings momentum with four consecutive quarterly beats, including Q2 2026 EPS of $0.87 versus $0.62 expected. Valuation metrics include a P/E of 25.28 and P/S of 1.11. Recent news highlights institutional buying and upcoming management participation in investor events, while fundamentals show $6.45B revenue with 4.39% net margin.
LW presents a mixed outlook with solid operational performance offset by margin pressure. The consensus price target of $53.86 offers limited upside, while analyst sentiment leans neutral (63% Hold). Key risks include international headwinds and cost inflation, but North American volume growth and dividend yield of 3.1% provide support. The stock trades near fair value with balanced risk-reward.
Trailing returns across standard periods
A.O. Smith Corporation manufactures and markets comprehensive lines of residential and commercial gas, gas tankless, and electric water heaters. Supplementary products include water heating equipment, condensing and noncondensing boilers, and water system tanks. The company's two operating segments are by geographic region: North America (majority of total revenue) and the Rest of the World. A material portion of sales in North America derive from replacing existing products, and the company utilizes a wholesale distribution channel and multiple selling locations. The Rest of the World segment sells primarily to Asian countries and operates sales offices to expand distribution and market its product portfolio.
Read more on AOS →Lamb Weston is the world's second-largest producer of branded and private-label frozen potato products, such as French fries, sweet potato fries, tater tots, diced potatoes, mashed potatoes, hash browns, and chips. The company also has a small appetizer business that produces onion rings, mozzarella sticks, and cheese curds. Including joint ventures, 63% of fiscal 2022 revenue was U.S.-based, with the remainder stemming from Europe, Canada, Japan, China, Korea, Mexico, and several other countries. Lamb Weston's customer mix is estimated 58% quick-serve restaurants, 19% full-service restaurants, 8% other food services (hotels, commercial cafeterias, arenas, schools), and 16% retail. Lamb Weston became an independent company in 2016 when it was spun off from Conagra.
Read more on LW →