A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the five research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $86.67.

A number of research analysts have commented on AOS shares. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on A. O. Smith from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. StockNews.com cut shares of A. O. Smith from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $74.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 19th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, April 8th.

A. O. Smith Stock Down 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE AOS opened at $85.15 on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $84.70 and its 200 day moving average is $78.81. A. O. Smith has a 52 week low of $63.88 and a 52 week high of $89.96. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The company has a market cap of $12.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.01, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.25.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.96 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $988.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $985.89 million. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 14.45% and a return on equity of 31.05%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.86 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that A. O. Smith will post 4.07 earnings per share for the current year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 29th. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.59%.

Insider Transactions at A. O. Smith

In related news, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 9,890 shares of A. O. Smith stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.63, for a total transaction of $836,990.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 9,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $800,176.65. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 9,890 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.63, for a total transaction of $836,990.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 9,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $800,176.65. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Ajita G. Rajendra sold 60,258 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.51, for a total value of $5,092,403.58. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 56,951 shares in the company, valued at $4,812,929.01. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 95,631 shares of company stock valued at $8,042,535 in the last three months. 2.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of A. O. Smith

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AOS. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 17.1% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 31,789 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,844,000 after buying an additional 4,636 shares in the last quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in A. O. Smith by 12.3% in the 1st quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,994 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $268,000 after acquiring an additional 328 shares in the last quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in A. O. Smith by 20.8% during the 1st quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 205,447 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $18,379,000 after purchasing an additional 35,333 shares during the last quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the 1st quarter worth $215,000. Finally, FCF Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 8.0% in the first quarter. FCF Advisors LLC now owns 24,013 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,148,000 after purchasing an additional 1,773 shares during the last quarter. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About A. O. Smith

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.