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

Key Points

• Weiss Ratings has reaffirmed a Hold (C+) rating for A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS), indicating cautious investor sentiment.
• The stock's price target estimates from analysts vary, with Oppenheimer raising it to $88.00, while the consensus target price stands at $77.43.
• A. O. Smith reported earnings of $1.07 per share for the last quarter, surpassing analyst expectations, while quarterly revenue was down 1.3% from the previous year.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "hold (c+)" rating reaffirmed by stock analysts at Weiss Ratings in a report issued on Wednesday,Weiss Ratings reports.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of A. O. Smith from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, September 26th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $76.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $76.00 target price (up previously from $74.00) on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, A. O. Smith has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $77.43.

A. O. Smith Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of AOS stock traded down $0.31 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $71.10. The stock had a trading volume of 272,171 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,441,853. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $72.16 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $68.34. A. O. Smith has a 52-week low of $58.83 and a 52-week high of $87.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.96 billion, a PE ratio of 19.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a current ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The industrial products company reported $1.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.10. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 13.68% and a return on equity of 28.42%. The firm had revenue of $1.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $997.89 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.06 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. A. O. Smith has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.700-3.900 EPS. Equities analysts expect that A. O. Smith will post 3.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other A. O. Smith news, Chairman Kevin J. Wheeler sold 22,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.26, for a total transaction of $1,581,972.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman directly owned 100,647 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,172,105.22. This represents a 18.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.76% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On A. O. Smith

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AOS. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new position in shares of A. O. Smith in the first quarter worth approximately $26,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 143.7% during the second quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 446 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 263 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 44,400.0% during the second quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 445 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 444 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service boosted its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 74.8% during the first quarter. National Pension Service now owns 458 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P bought a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the second quarter worth $30,000. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About A. O. Smith

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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