A. O. Smith FY2024 EPS Estimate Lowered by Zacks Research

A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) - Zacks Research dropped their FY2024 earnings per share estimates for shares of A. O. Smith in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, December 11th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the industrial products company will post earnings per share of $3.76 for the year, down from their previous estimate of $3.78. The consensus estimate for A. O. Smith's current full-year earnings is $3.77 per share.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The industrial products company reported $0.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.82. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 14.41% and a return on equity of 30.09%. The company had revenue of $957.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $960.36 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.90 earnings per share.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $91.00 to $90.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Citigroup reduced their target price on A. O. Smith from $85.00 to $78.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 9th. StockNews.com downgraded A. O. Smith from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $81.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, DA Davidson downgraded A. O. Smith from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $80.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, A. O. Smith has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $83.17.

A. O. Smith Stock Performance

A. O. Smith stock traded down $0.59 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $71.90. 767,873 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 968,518. The stock has a market cap of $10.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.16. The firm's 50 day moving average is $76.19 and its 200 day moving average is $80.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.67. A. O. Smith has a 52-week low of $70.73 and a 52-week high of $92.44.

A. O. Smith Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 31st were issued a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.89%. This is an increase from A. O. Smith's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, October 31st. A. O. Smith's payout ratio is 35.79%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On A. O. Smith

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AOS. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in A. O. Smith by 7.2% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,007 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $164,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank increased its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 19.8% in the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 812 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 12.5% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,227 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $110,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC boosted its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 5.0% during the third quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC now owns 2,989 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $269,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the period. Finally, OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in A. O. Smith by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,240 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $291,000 after buying an additional 156 shares in 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.