A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to “Hold”

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Wednesday, December 24th. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $78.00 target price (up from $72.00) on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Friday, January 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $69.00 price target on A. O. Smith and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday. Robert W. Baird set a $77.00 price objective on A. O. Smith in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $85.00 target price on A. O. Smith and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $77.00.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

Shares of AOS stock opened at $80.43 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $11.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.36. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $71.30 and its 200-day moving average price is $70.26. A. O. Smith has a fifty-two week low of $58.83 and a fifty-two week high of $81.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.50.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $0.90 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.84 by $0.06. A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 29.51% and a net margin of 14.26%.The company had revenue of $912.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $928.97 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.85 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that A. O. Smith will post 3.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in AOS. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its stake in A. O. Smith by 3,481.8% during the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 394 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 383 shares during the period. Rothschild Investment LLC increased its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 3,125.0% in the third quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 387 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 375 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC raised its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 44,400.0% during the 2nd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 445 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 444 shares during the period. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P bought a new position in A. O. Smith in the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Torren Management LLC purchased a new stake in A. O. Smith in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. 76.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About A. O. Smith

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.