A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS) Short Interest Update

A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest in the month of February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 6,213,011 shares, a decrease of 17.5% from the January 29th total of 7,526,575 shares. Currently, 4.5% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 1,521,884 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.1 days. Based on an average daily volume of 1,521,884 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.1 days. Currently, 4.5% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Insider Buying and Selling at A. O. Smith

In other news, SVP Darrell W. Schuh sold 1,104 shares of A. O. Smith stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.39, for a total transaction of $82,126.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 2,201 shares in the company, valued at approximately $163,732.39. This trade represents a 33.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.76% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 9,672 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $647,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares during the period. Kera Capital Partners Inc. bought a new stake in A. O. Smith during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $336,000. Compound Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in A. O. Smith during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $207,000. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in A. O. Smith by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,559,612 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $304,947,000 after acquiring an additional 37,621 shares during the period. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 351.7% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 152,713 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $10,213,000 after acquiring an additional 118,901 shares during the last quarter. 76.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group set a $75.00 target price on A. O. Smith and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $75.00 price target on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $69.00 price objective on shares of A. O. Smith and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $85.00 target price on shares of A. O. Smith and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $78.00 target price (up from $72.00) on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $77.00.

A. O. Smith Stock Performance

Shares of AOS stock traded down $2.27 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $73.36. The company had a trading volume of 2,234,383 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,188,143. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.50. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $73.76 and a 200-day moving average price of $70.83. A. O. Smith has a one year low of $58.83 and a one year high of $81.86. The firm has a market cap of $10.14 billion, a PE ratio of 19.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.33.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $0.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $912.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $928.97 million. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 14.26% and a return on equity of 29.51%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.85 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that A. O. Smith will post 3.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Investors of record on Friday, January 30th were issued a $0.36 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 30th. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. A. O. Smith’s payout ratio is presently 37.31%.

About A. O. Smith

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.