A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) Upgraded to Neutral by UBS Group

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) was upgraded by equities researchers at UBS Group from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage currently has a $80.00 price objective on the industrial products company’s stock, up from their previous price objective of $75.00. UBS Group’s target price points to a potential upside of 3.45% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on AOS. StockNews.com upgraded shares of A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective 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. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the company from $97.00 to $98.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $86.71.

A. O. Smith Trading Up 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE:AOS opened at $77.33 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 1.67 and a quick ratio of 1.07. A. O. Smith has a 1 year low of $65.08 and a 1 year high of $92.44. The company has a market cap of $11.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.03, a PEG ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.15. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $82.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $83.44.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The industrial products company reported $0.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.82. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 14.41% and a return on equity of 30.09%. The business had revenue of $957.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $960.36 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.90 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that A. O. Smith will post 3.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at A. O. Smith

In related news, SVP Samuel M. Carver sold 14,705 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.00, for a total transaction of $1,191,105.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,399 shares in the company, valued at approximately $194,319. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 2.70% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On A. O. Smith

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. purchased a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the second quarter worth $25,000. Isthmus Partners LLC purchased a new stake in A. O. Smith in the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Quarry LP increased its stake in A. O. Smith by 214.9% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 359 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 245 shares in the last quarter. Waldron Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in A. O. Smith during the third quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Wolff Wiese Magana LLC purchased a new position in shares of A. O. Smith in the third quarter valued at about $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

About A. O. Smith

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.