Weiss Ratings Reaffirms “Hold (C)” Rating for A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS)

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS)‘s stock had its “hold (c)” rating reissued by investment analysts at Weiss Ratings in a research note issued on Wednesday,Weiss Ratings reports.

Several other analysts have also commented on the stock. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $69.00 to $65.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $76.17.

A. O. Smith Trading Down 2.0%

NYSE AOS opened at $64.14 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.21. A. O. Smith has a 52-week low of $58.83 and a 52-week high of $92.45. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $65.67 and a 200 day moving average price of $67.51. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The industrial products company reported $0.95 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.05. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 13.98% and a return on equity of 28.87%. The company had revenue of $963.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $950.56 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.00 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that A. O. Smith will post 3.76 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of A. O. Smith

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in A. O. Smith during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $26,000. National Pension Service grew its stake 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 purchasing an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC grew its stake 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 purchasing an additional 202 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its stake 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 purchasing an additional 333 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ransom Advisory Ltd acquired a new stake in A. O. Smith during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $48,000. 76.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.