Weiss Ratings Reiterates Hold (C) Rating for A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS)

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

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on AOS. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $80.00 to $74.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer dropped their price objective on A. O. Smith from $88.00 to $84.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on A. O. Smith from $84.00 to $75.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target 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. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, A. O. Smith currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $76.50.

A. O. Smith Stock Performance

NYSE:AOS opened at $65.05 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.36 billion, a PE ratio of 17.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $65.30 and its 200 day moving average price is $69.81. A. O. Smith has a 12 month low of $58.83 and a 12 month high of $92.45.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.90 by ($0.05). A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 28.87% and a net margin of 13.98%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that A. O. Smith will post 3.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at A. O. Smith

In related news, SVP Douglas Samuel Karge sold 419 shares of A. O. Smith stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.65, for a total value of $27,507.35. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,749 shares in the company, valued at $180,471.85. The trade was a 13.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 1,026 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.65, for a total value of $67,356.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 8,889 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $583,562.85. The trade was a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.76% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On A. O. Smith

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Ridgewood Investments LLC purchased a new stake in A. O. Smith during the fourth quarter worth about $60,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $66,000. Intact Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the 1st quarter worth approximately $72,000. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan purchased a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the 4th quarter worth approximately $84,000. Finally, Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 40.0% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,299 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $89,000 after acquiring an additional 371 shares during the period. 76.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.