A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) Hits New 1-Year Low - Here's Why

Shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week low on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $70.53 and last traded at $70.54, with a volume of 264172 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $70.81.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on AOS. DA Davidson cut shares of A. O. Smith from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $80.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. UBS Group raised shares of A. O. Smith from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $75.00 to $80.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of A. O. Smith from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Citigroup cut their target price on A. O. Smith from $85.00 to $78.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on A. O. Smith from $91.00 to $90.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $83.17.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

The firm's 50-day moving average is $75.55 and its 200-day moving average is $80.42. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The company has a market cap of $9.99 billion, a PE ratio of 18.13, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.16.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The industrial products company reported $0.82 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.82. The company had revenue of $957.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $960.36 million. A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 30.09% and a net margin of 14.41%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.90 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.77 EPS for the current year.

A. O. Smith Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 31st were given a $0.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 31st. This is an increase from A. O. Smith's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.97%. A. O. Smith's dividend payout ratio is currently 35.79%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On A. O. Smith

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the third quarter worth $1,726,000. Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in A. O. Smith during the 2nd quarter valued at about $228,000. Bank of Montreal Can increased its stake in A. O. Smith by 37.6% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 185,768 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $15,409,000 after purchasing an additional 50,798 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new position in A. O. Smith in the second quarter worth about $1,372,000. Finally, FORA Capital LLC purchased a new position in A. O. Smith in the third quarter worth about $730,000. Institutional investors 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.