Weiss Ratings Reiterates “Hold (C)” Rating for A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS)

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS)‘s stock had its “hold (c)” rating reaffirmed by investment analysts at Weiss Ratings in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Weiss Ratings reports.

Several other brokerages have also issued reports on AOS. StockNews.com upgraded A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $81.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. UBS Group cut their price target on A. O. Smith from $80.00 to $74.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. DA Davidson lowered A. O. Smith from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $80.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Oppenheimer cut their price target on A. O. Smith from $88.00 to $84.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $80.86.

A. O. Smith Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of AOS stock opened at $66.81 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $9.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.40, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.17. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $68.57 and a 200-day moving average of $75.51. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. A. O. Smith has a 1-year low of $64.55 and a 1-year high of $92.44.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.90 by ($0.05). A. O. Smith had a net margin of 13.98% and a return on equity of 28.87%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that A. O. Smith will post 3.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 1,026 shares of A. O. Smith stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The stock was 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. The trade was a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Douglas Samuel Karge sold 419 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.65, for a total value of $27,507.35. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,749 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $180,471.85. The trade was a 13.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 2.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Waldron Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of A. O. Smith in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of A. O. Smith in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $43,000. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of A. O. Smith in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $55,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of A. O. Smith in the 4th quarter worth approximately $60,000. Finally, New Age Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of A. O. Smith in the 4th quarter worth approximately $66,000. 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.