A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Friday.

AOS has been the topic of several other reports. Stifel Nicolaus upgraded A. O. Smith from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $97.00 to $98.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on A. O. Smith from $92.00 to $90.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on A. O. Smith from $73.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research report on Monday, July 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $89.67.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

AOS stock remained flat at $78.75 during midday trading on Friday. The company had a trading volume of 1,032,227 shares, compared to its average volume of 959,398. The company has a market capitalization of $11.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.15. A. O. Smith has a 1 year low of $65.08 and a 1 year high of $92.44. The company has a current ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The business's fifty day moving average price is $82.67 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $83.72.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The industrial products company reported $1.06 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.07 by ($0.01). A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 31.04% and a net margin of 14.67%. The business had revenue of $1.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.01 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that A. O. Smith will post 3.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 31st will be paid a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.73%. This is a boost from A. O. Smith's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 31st. A. O. Smith's payout ratio is presently 32.99%.

Insider Transactions at A. O. Smith

In related news, SVP Samuel M. Carver sold 14,705 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.00, for a total value of $1,191,105.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,399 shares in the company, valued at approximately $194,319. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 2.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On A. O. Smith

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AOS. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 7.2% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,007 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $164,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in 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 worth $110,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Algebris UK Ltd raised its stake in A. O. Smith by 2.3% in the first quarter. Algebris UK Ltd now owns 6,109 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $506,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the period. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC lifted its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 5.0% in the third quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC now owns 2,989 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $269,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empirical Finance LLC boosted its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 3.3% during the 1st quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 4,618 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $413,000 after acquiring an additional 149 shares during the period. 76.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.