A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) Reaches New 52-Week Low – Here’s Why

Shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) hit a new 52-week low on Monday . The company traded as low as $67.41 and last traded at $67.59, with a volume of 66785 shares. The stock had previously closed at $68.43.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. 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. DA Davidson cut 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. Citigroup reduced their price objective on A. O. Smith from $85.00 to $78.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 9th. StockNews.com lowered A. O. Smith from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on A. O. Smith from $91.00 to $90.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $83.17.

A. O. Smith Stock Up 0.3 %

The firm has a market cap of $9.89 billion, a PE ratio of 17.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $73.01 and its 200-day moving average is $79.47.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The industrial products company reported $0.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.82. The business had revenue of $957.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $960.36 million. A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 30.09% and a net margin of 14.41%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.90 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that A. O. Smith Co. will post 3.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 31st were paid a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 31st. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.99%. This is an increase from A. O. Smith’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.79%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of A. O. Smith in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,726,000. Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the second quarter worth $228,000. Bank of Montreal Can raised its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 37.6% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 185,768 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $15,409,000 after acquiring an additional 50,798 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,372,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in A. O. Smith by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,586,905 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $321,348,000 after purchasing an additional 52,593 shares during the period. 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.