A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) Stock Rating Lowered by Zacks Research

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) was downgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

AOS has been the subject of a number of other reports. Jefferies Financial Group set a $75.00 price objective on A. O. Smith and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Robert W. Baird set a $70.00 price objective on A. O. Smith in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus set a $75.00 price objective on A. O. Smith in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $80.00 price objective on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on A. O. Smith from $74.00 to $65.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $70.44.

A. O. Smith Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of NYSE AOS opened at $60.18 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.23. A. O. Smith has a 1-year low of $58.22 and a 1-year high of $81.86. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $66.64 and a 200 day moving average price of $68.77.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.94 by ($0.09). The company had revenue of $945.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $974.06 million. A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 28.42% and a net margin of 13.84%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.95 earnings per share. A. O. Smith has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.600-3.900 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that A. O. Smith will post 3.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other A. O. Smith news, SVP Darrell W. Schuh sold 1,104 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.39, for a total transaction of $82,126.56. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 2,201 shares in the company, valued at approximately $163,732.39. The trade was a 33.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of A. O. Smith

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AOS. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV grew its stake in A. O. Smith by 3,481.8% during the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 394 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 383 shares during the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC boosted its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 3,125.0% in the third quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 387 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 375 shares during the last quarter. Torren Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the third quarter worth about $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

A. O. Smith Company Profile

A. O. Smith Corporation, based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is a leading manufacturer of water heating and water treatment products for residential and commercial applications. Since its founding in 1874, the company has built a reputation for producing reliable, energy-efficient water heaters, boilers and pressure vessels. Its product portfolio encompasses gas, electric, condensing and tankless water heaters, as well as specialty boilers designed to meet a variety of building and industrial needs.

The company operates through two primary segments: North America and Asia.