A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) Sets New 1-Year High – Here’s What Happened

A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $77.44 and last traded at $77.1250, with a volume of 68874 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $76.34.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on AOS shares. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $78.00 price target (up from $72.00) on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Friday, January 30th. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $75.00 price objective on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Thursday, November 13th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Wednesday, December 24th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $85.00 price target on shares of A. O. Smith and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $77.00 price target on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, A. O. Smith presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $78.00.

A. O. Smith Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $11.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a current ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $69.99 and its 200 day moving average is $69.98.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $0.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.06. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 14.26% and a return on equity of 29.51%. The firm had revenue of $912.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $928.97 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.85 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.76 earnings per share for the current year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th will be issued a $0.36 dividend. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 30th. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.31%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On A. O. Smith

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Rothschild Investment LLC increased its position in A. O. Smith by 3,125.0% during the third quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 387 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 375 shares during the period. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV boosted its holdings in A. O. Smith by 3,481.8% in the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 394 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 383 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC grew its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 44,400.0% during the 2nd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 445 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 444 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P bought a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

A. O. Smith Company Profile

A. O. Smith Corporation, based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is a leading manufacturer of water heating and water treatment products for residential and commercial applications. Since its founding in 1874, the company has built a reputation for producing reliable, energy-efficient water heaters, boilers and pressure vessels. Its product portfolio encompasses gas, electric, condensing and tankless water heaters, as well as specialty boilers designed to meet a variety of building and industrial needs.

The company operates through two primary segments: North America and Asia.