A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the seven ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $90.67.

AOS has been the subject of a number of research reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. StockNews.com cut shares of A. O. Smith from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on A. O. Smith from $86.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Citigroup lifted their target price on A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, April 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on A. O. Smith from $91.00 to $90.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 26th.

A. O. Smith Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:AOS opened at $84.31 on Friday. A. O. Smith has a 52-week low of $63.88 and a 52-week high of $89.96. The company has a market capitalization of $12.41 billion, a PE ratio of 21.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.65. The company has a fifty day moving average of $85.97 and a 200-day moving average of $80.22.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $1.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.99 by $0.01. A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 30.94% and a net margin of 14.94%. The business had revenue of $978.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $995.91 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.94 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that A. O. Smith will post 4.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be paid a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.52%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 29th. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio is 33.16%.

Insider Activity at A. O. Smith

In other A. O. Smith news, Director Idelle K. Wolf sold 814 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total value of $65,120.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 46,140 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,691,200. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, Director Ajita G. Rajendra sold 24,669 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.02, for a total value of $2,048,020.38. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 56,951 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,728,072.02. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Idelle K. Wolf sold 814 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total value of $65,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 46,140 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,691,200. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 95,631 shares of company stock worth $8,042,535 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 2.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On A. O. Smith

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in A. O. Smith by 63.3% in the 1st quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 4,420 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $395,000 after purchasing an additional 1,713 shares during the period. First Command Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the first quarter valued at about $132,000. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 36.9% during the first quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 15,043 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,345,000 after acquiring an additional 4,052 shares in the last quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the 1st quarter worth about $109,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in A. O. Smith by 59.8% in the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 174,532 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $15,614,000 after acquiring an additional 65,297 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.