A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) Reaches New 52-Week Low - Should You Sell?

A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $59.12 and last traded at $59.65, with a volume of 2144086 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $60.64.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $78.00 to $73.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 13th. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $80.00 to $74.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com raised A. O. Smith from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on A. O. Smith from $90.00 to $84.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $79.33.

A. O. Smith Trading Up 0.7 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $9.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.26. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $65.70 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $71.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.90 by ($0.05). A. O. Smith had a net margin of 13.98% and a return on equity of 28.87%. As a group, analysts forecast that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be given a $0.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.09%. A. O. Smith's payout ratio is 37.47%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Douglas Samuel Karge sold 419 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.65, for a total transaction of $27,507.35. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,749 shares in the company, valued at approximately $180,471.85. This represents a 13.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 1,026 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.65, for a total value of $67,356.90. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 8,889 shares in the company, valued at approximately $583,562.85. This trade represents a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.76% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On A. O. Smith

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AOS. Ridgewood Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of A. O. Smith in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $60,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new position in A. O. Smith in the 4th quarter valued at $66,000. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan purchased a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the 4th quarter valued at $84,000. Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 40.0% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,299 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $89,000 after purchasing an additional 371 shares during the period. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 40.4% in the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,571 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $103,000 after buying an additional 452 shares during the last quarter. 76.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.