A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) Hits New 52-Week Low – What’s Next?

A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) shares hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $65.29 and last traded at $65.16, with a volume of 60637 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $65.66.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Saturday, February 1st. UBS Group decreased 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 research note on Friday, January 31st. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $81.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Citigroup decreased their target price on 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. Finally, Oppenheimer cut their price target on A. O. Smith from $88.00 to $84.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $80.86.

A. O. Smith Trading Down 0.2 %

The company has a 50-day moving average of $70.04 and a 200 day moving average of $76.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The company has a market cap of $9.50 billion, a PE ratio of 18.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.17.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last announced its 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 return on equity of 28.87% and a net margin of 13.98%. Analysts predict that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.76 earnings per share for the current year.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be paid a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.08%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 31st. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.47%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On A. O. Smith

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in A. O. Smith by 7.2% in the second 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. Huntington National Bank boosted its holdings in A. O. Smith by 19.8% during the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 812 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $73,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in A. O. Smith by 12.5% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,227 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $110,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC increased its stake in 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 worth $269,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period. Finally, OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 5.1% during the third quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,240 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $291,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. 76.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About A. O. Smith

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.