A. O. Smith’s (AOS) Hold (C) Rating Reaffirmed at Weiss Ratings

Weiss Ratings reissued their hold (c) rating on shares of A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) in a research note issued to investors on Saturday,Weiss Ratings reports.

AOS has been the topic of several other research reports. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on A. O. Smith from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on A. O. Smith from $69.00 to $65.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on A. O. Smith in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $70.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on A. O. Smith from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, A. O. Smith presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $75.29.

A. O. Smith Stock Down 1.9%

AOS stock opened at $69.11 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $66.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $66.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.61. A. O. Smith has a fifty-two week low of $58.83 and a fifty-two week high of $92.45. The company has a market cap of $9.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.20.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The industrial products company reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.05. A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 28.39% and a net margin of 13.74%. The firm had revenue of $963.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $950.56 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.00 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that A. O. Smith will post 3.76 earnings per share for the current year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.34 per share. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 31st. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.99%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On A. O. Smith

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in A. O. Smith during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $26,000. National Pension Service grew its holdings in A. O. Smith by 74.8% during the 1st quarter. National Pension Service now owns 458 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC grew its holdings in A. O. Smith by 69.9% during the 1st quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 491 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 202 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its holdings in 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 valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 333 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ransom Advisory Ltd purchased a new position in A. O. Smith during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.