A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS) have been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the nine research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $76.50.

Several equities analysts have weighed in on AOS shares. Jefferies Financial Group set a $75.00 price objective on A. O. Smith and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $75.00 price target on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $80.00 price target on shares of A. O. Smith and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Robert W. Baird set a $76.00 price objective on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Wednesday, December 24th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On A. O. Smith

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. WealthPLAN Partners LLC raised its position in A. O. Smith by 1.3% in the third quarter. WealthPLAN Partners LLC now owns 12,080 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $887,000 after acquiring an additional 158 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 17.3% during the 3rd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,130 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $83,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC increased its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 37.8% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 613 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 4.5% in the 2nd quarter. Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,972 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $260,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the period. Finally, Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in A. O. Smith by 24.8% in the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 871 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $64,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares during the last quarter. 76.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

AOS stock opened at $72.47 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 1.54. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $67.40 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $69.49. The company has a market capitalization of $10.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.35. A. O. Smith has a 52-week low of $58.83 and a 52-week high of $77.31.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The industrial products company reported $0.94 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.05. A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 29.34% and a net margin of 13.85%.The firm had revenue of $942.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $946.33 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.82 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. A. O. Smith has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.700-3.850 EPS. Research analysts expect that A. O. Smith will post 3.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th will be paid a $0.36 dividend. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 30th. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio is 38.81%.

A. O. Smith Company Profile

A. O. Smith Corporation, based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is a leading manufacturer of water heating and water treatment products for residential and commercial applications. Since its founding in 1874, the company has built a reputation for producing reliable, energy-efficient water heaters, boilers and pressure vessels. Its product portfolio encompasses gas, electric, condensing and tankless water heaters, as well as specialty boilers designed to meet a variety of building and industrial needs.

The company operates through two primary segments: North America and Asia.