Stifel Nicolaus Issues Positive Forecast for A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) Stock Price

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) had its price target lifted by Stifel Nicolaus from $78.00 to $81.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the industrial products company's stock.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Saturday, July 12th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $70.00 target price for the company. Finally, Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $69.00 to $65.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $75.71.

A. O. Smith Stock Up 3.0%

Shares of NYSE:AOS traded up $2.04 during trading on Monday, hitting $71.11. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,668,121 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,319,286. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $66.62 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $66.63. The company has a market capitalization of $10.11 billion, a PE ratio of 19.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.61. A. O. Smith has a fifty-two week low of $58.83 and a fifty-two week high of $92.06.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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 13.74% and a return on equity of 28.39%. The business had revenue of $963.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $950.56 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.00 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect 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 will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 31st will be given a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 31st. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.91%. A. O. Smith's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.99%.

Institutional Trading of A. O. Smith

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC raised its stake in A. O. Smith by 3.1% during the first quarter. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC now owns 5,847 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $382,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its stake in A. O. Smith by 3.3% during the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 5,532 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $363,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares during the period. Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group raised its stake in A. O. Smith by 1.2% during the first quarter. Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group now owns 15,607 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,020,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares during the period. Advisory Alpha LLC raised its stake in A. O. Smith by 5.4% during the first quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC now owns 3,642 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $238,000 after purchasing an additional 188 shares during the period. Finally, National Pension Service raised its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 74.8% in the 1st quarter. National Pension Service now owns 458 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.