A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) Reaches New 12-Month Low Following Weak Earnings

Shares of A. O. Smith Co. (NYSE:AOS) reached a new 52-week low during trading on Thursday following a dissappointing earnings announcement. The company traded as low as $67.06 and last traded at $67.64, with a volume of 8919 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $69.22.

The industrial products company reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.90 by ($0.05). A. O. Smith had a net margin of 14.41% and a return on equity of 30.09%.

A. O. Smith Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be given a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.02%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 31st. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.79%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AOS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Saturday, January 18th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on A. O. Smith from $80.00 to $74.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $78.00 to $73.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $81.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $80.86.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On A. O. Smith

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AOS. Quarry LP boosted its holdings in A. O. Smith by 214.9% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 359 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares in the last quarter. Waldron Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC acquired a new position in A. O. Smith during the third quarter worth $37,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in A. O. Smith in the third quarter worth $43,000. Finally, Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new stake in A. O. Smith in the third quarter valued at $55,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

A. O. Smith Stock Down 0.1 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.67. The company has a market capitalization of $9.75 billion, a PE ratio of 17.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.18. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $70.71 and its 200 day simple moving average is $77.39.

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.