A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) Releases Earnings Results, Meets Estimates

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) issued its earnings results on Tuesday. The industrial products company reported $0.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.82, Briefing.com reports. The company had revenue of $957.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $960.36 million. A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 31.04% and a net margin of 14.67%. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.90 EPS.

A. O. Smith Stock Performance

A. O. Smith stock traded down $0.34 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $77.87. The stock had a trading volume of 412,770 shares, compared to its average volume of 960,768. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.36 billion, a PE ratio of 20.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.15. A. O. Smith has a 12 month low of $65.08 and a 12 month high of $92.44. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $82.64 and its 200 day moving average price is $83.52.

A. O. Smith Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.34 per share. This is an increase from A. O. Smith’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 31st. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.75%. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.99%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Samuel M. Carver sold 14,705 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,399 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $194,319. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AOS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group raised shares of A. O. Smith from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $75.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Wednesday. Stifel Nicolaus raised A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $97.00 to $98.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $81.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. StockNews.com upgraded A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Finally, DA Davidson lowered shares of A. O. Smith from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $80.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Wednesday. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, A. O. Smith currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $87.71.

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.