A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) was the target of a large decline in short interest in the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 5,090,000 shares, a decline of 13.0% from the April 30th total of 5,850,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,460,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.5 days. Currently, 4.5% of the shares of the company are short sold.
A. O. Smith Trading Up 0.9%
Shares of NYSE AOS traded up $0.61 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $64.41. The stock had a trading volume of 1,316,260 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,250,148. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.55. A. O. Smith has a 1 year low of $58.83 and a 1 year high of $92.45. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $65.52 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $67.68. The firm has a market cap of $9.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.21.
A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The industrial products company reported $0.95 EPS 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 the consensus estimate of $950.56 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.00 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that A. O. Smith will post 3.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.
A. O. Smith Announces Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th were paid a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 30th. A. O. Smith's payout ratio is 37.99%.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AOS. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in A. O. Smith during the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. National Pension Service increased its position 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 during the period. TCTC Holdings LLC increased its position 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 during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its position 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 during the period. Finally, Ransom Advisory Ltd purchased a new position in A. O. Smith during the 1st quarter valued at $48,000. 76.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several equities analysts have recently commented on AOS shares. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price 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. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of 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. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Saturday, May 24th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, A. O. Smith has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $76.17.
Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on AOS
A. O. Smith Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
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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