A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS) Short Interest Update

A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 7,526,575 shares, an increase of 38.1% from the January 15th total of 5,450,963 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,641,051 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.6 days. Approximately 5.4% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Approximately 5.4% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,641,051 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.6 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On A. O. Smith

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Rothschild Investment LLC boosted 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 acquiring an additional 375 shares during the last quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its holdings in A. O. Smith by 3,481.8% in the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 394 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 383 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC increased its holdings in A. O. Smith by 44,400.0% in 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 last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the third quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P purchased a new stake in A. O. Smith during the second quarter worth about $30,000. 76.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

A. O. Smith Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of NYSE AOS traded down $1.15 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $79.31. The company had a trading volume of 194,922 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,432,837. The stock has a market cap of $11.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.36. A. O. Smith has a 52 week low of $58.83 and a 52 week high of $81.86. The business’s 50-day moving average is $71.56 and its 200-day moving average is $70.32. The company has a current ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $0.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.06. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 14.26% and a return on equity of 29.51%. The company had revenue of $912.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $928.97 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.85 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that A. O. Smith will post 3.76 earnings per share for the current year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.36 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 30th. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.31%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on AOS. Wall Street Zen downgraded A. O. Smith from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $69.00 price target on A. O. Smith and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Wednesday, December 24th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $85.00 price objective on shares of A. O. Smith and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $77.00 target price on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Friday, January 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, A. O. Smith has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $77.00.

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.