A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) has been given an average rating of “Hold” by the eight brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $89.29.

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Stifel Nicolaus upgraded A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $97.00 to $98.00 in a research report on Wednesday. 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. UBS Group lifted their price target 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, Oppenheimer reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Thursday, April 18th.

Institutional Trading of A. O. Smith

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of AOS. Algebris UK Ltd raised its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. Algebris UK Ltd now owns 6,109 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $506,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Empirical Finance LLC raised its position in A. O. Smith by 3.3% during the first quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 4,618 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $413,000 after acquiring an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 1.5% in the first quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc. now owns 10,156 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $909,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. American International Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. American International Group Inc. now owns 33,231 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,740,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kessler Investment Group LLC grew its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 3.5% in the second quarter. Kessler Investment Group LLC now owns 5,087 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $416,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

A. O. Smith Stock Up 0.4 %

A. O. Smith stock opened at $80.76 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $83.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $83.80. A. O. Smith has a twelve month low of $64.14 and a twelve month high of $92.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.92, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 23rd. The industrial products company reported $1.06 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.07 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $1.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1 billion. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 14.94% and a return on equity of 30.94%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.01 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that A. O. Smith will post 4.09 earnings per share for the current year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 31st. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.58%. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio is presently 33.16%.

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.