By otakuyassine3@gmail.com 
A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS – Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week low during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $70.53 and last traded at $70.54, with a volume of 264172 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $70.81.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
AOS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered A. O. Smith from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Citigroup decreased their target price on A. O. Smith from $85.00 to $78.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $81.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. DA Davidson lowered shares of A. O. Smith from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $80.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $91.00 to $90.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $83.17.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on AOS
A. O. Smith Stock Down 2.7 %
The company’s 50 day moving average price is $75.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $80.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.67, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The stock has a market cap of $9.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.13, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.16.
A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The industrial products company reported $0.82 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.82. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 14.41% and a return on equity of 30.09%. The business had revenue of $957.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $960.36 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.90 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.77 earnings per share for the current year.
A. O. Smith Increases Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 31st were 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 was Thursday, October 31st. This is a positive change from A. O. Smith’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. A. O. Smith’s payout ratio is currently 35.79%.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On A. O. Smith
A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. bought a new stake in A. O. Smith during the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Isthmus Partners LLC bought a new stake in A. O. Smith during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Quarry LP lifted its holdings in A. O. Smith by 214.9% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 359 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares in the last quarter. Waldron Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in A. O. Smith in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Wolff Wiese Magana LLC purchased a new stake in A. O. Smith during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 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.
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