A. O. Smith’s (AOS) “Hold (C)” Rating Reiterated at Weiss Ratings

Weiss Ratings restated their hold (c) rating on shares of A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) in a research report sent to investors on Saturday morning,Weiss Ratings reports.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on AOS. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $69.00 to $65.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $88.00 to $84.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $80.00 to $74.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $76.17.

A. O. Smith Stock Performance

AOS stock opened at $67.01 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The company has a market capitalization of $9.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.46, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.28. A. O. Smith has a 12 month low of $58.83 and a 12 month high of $92.45. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $65.84 and a two-hundred day moving average of $68.19.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The industrial products company reported $0.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $963.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $950.56 million. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 13.98% and a return on equity of 28.87%. A. O. Smith’s quarterly revenue was down 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.00 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that A. O. Smith will post 3.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th were paid a dividend of $0.34 per share. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 30th. A. O. Smith’s payout ratio is currently 37.99%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On A. O. Smith

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. National Pension Service lifted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 74.8% during the 1st quarter. National Pension Service now owns 458 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares during the period. TCTC Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 69.9% during the 1st quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 491 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 202 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 161.7% during the 1st quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 539 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 333 shares during the period. Finally, Ransom Advisory Ltd bought a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the 1st quarter worth about $48,000. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.