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

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "hold (c)" rating restated by equities research analysts at Weiss Ratings in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Weiss Ratings reports.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on A. O. Smith from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on A. O. Smith from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Citigroup cut 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 report on Monday, April 14th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, A. O. Smith presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $76.17.

A. O. Smith Trading Down 0.7%

AOS stock traded down $0.47 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $63.78. The stock had a trading volume of 2,217,061 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,269,196. The firm has a market cap of $9.06 billion, a PE ratio of 17.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 0.96. A. O. Smith has a 12-month low of $58.83 and a 12-month high of $92.45. The company's 50-day moving average price is $65.75 and its 200 day moving average price is $67.40.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last released 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. The firm had revenue of $963.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $950.56 million. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 13.98% and a return on equity of 28.87%. A. O. Smith's revenue for the quarter was down 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.00 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that A. O. Smith will post 3.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On A. O. Smith

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 292,101 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $19,924,000 after acquiring an additional 5,366 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC acquired a new stake in A. O. Smith during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,110,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its holdings in A. O. Smith by 13.4% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 4,089 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $279,000 after purchasing an additional 482 shares during the last quarter. PUREfi Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of A. O. Smith in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $252,000. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 18,966 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,277,000 after purchasing an additional 596 shares in the last quarter. 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.