A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) Announces Earnings Results

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday. The industrial products company reported $0.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.82, Briefing.com reports. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 14.41% and a return on equity of 30.09%. The business had revenue of $957.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $960.36 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.90 earnings per share.

A. O. Smith Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of AOS traded up $0.45 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $77.79. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 35,667 shares, compared to its average volume of 960,522. The company’s 50 day moving average is $82.53 and its 200 day moving average is $83.44. The stock has a market cap of $11.41 billion, a PE ratio of 20.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.15. A. O. Smith has a 12-month low of $65.20 and a 12-month high of $92.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 1.67 and a quick ratio of 1.07.

A. O. Smith Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 31st will be given a dividend of $0.34 per share. This is a boost from A. O. Smith’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.75%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 31st. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.23%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on A. O. Smith from $92.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. UBS Group upgraded A. O. Smith from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $75.00 to $80.00 in a report on Wednesday. DA Davidson downgraded 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. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $81.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, A. O. Smith currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $86.71.

Insider Activity at A. O. Smith

In other A. O. Smith news, SVP Samuel M. Carver sold 14,705 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.00, for a total transaction of $1,191,105.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,399 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $194,319. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 2.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.