A.O. Smith initiated with a Neutral at Seaport Research

Seaport Research analyst Scott Graham initiated coverage of A.O. Smith with a Neutral rating and no price target. While A.O. Smith has “a solid set of growth initiatives” and “adroitly handled runaway steel inflation” last year and in the first half of this year, the firm estimates its positive price-cost gap will narrow from here and is concerned over the pace of the residential recovery in the U.S.