A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report released on Friday.

Several other research analysts have also recently commented on the company. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on A. O. Smith from $92.00 to $90.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. UBS Group increased their target price on A. O. Smith from $73.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, July 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised shares of A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $97.00 to $98.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $89.67.

A. O. Smith Stock Performance

A. O. Smith stock opened at $78.75 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.55 billion, a PE ratio of 20.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.15. A. O. Smith has a one year low of $65.08 and a one year high of $92.44. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $82.67 and its 200 day moving average price is $83.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.70.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The industrial products company reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.07 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $1.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1 billion. A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 31.04% and a net margin of 14.67%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.01 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that A. O. Smith will post 3.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 31st. This is a boost from A. O. Smith’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.73%. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling at A. O. Smith

In other news, SVP Samuel M. Carver sold 14,705 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.00, for a total value of $1,191,105.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,399 shares in the company, valued at approximately $194,319. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 2.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On A. O. Smith

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of AOS. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 11.3% during the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 225,930 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $20,212,000 after purchasing an additional 22,859 shares during the period. Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the second quarter valued at $228,000. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 222.0% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 25,255 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,259,000 after acquiring an additional 17,411 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 84.8% in the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 51,518 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $4,609,000 after acquiring an additional 23,640 shares during the period. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC lifted its position in A. O. Smith by 119.8% in the 1st quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 21,400 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,914,000 after purchasing an additional 11,663 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

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.