Citigroup Lowers A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) Price Target to $65.00

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) had its price objective dropped by Citigroup from $69.00 to $65.00 in a report released on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “neutral” rating on the industrial products company’s stock. Citigroup’s price target would suggest a potential downside of 0.17% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other brokerages also recently weighed in on AOS. StockNews.com raised A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on A. O. Smith from $90.00 to $84.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $80.00 to $74.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Oppenheimer decreased their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $88.00 to $84.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $78.00.

A. O. Smith Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE AOS traded up $0.61 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $65.11. The company had a trading volume of 1,459,343 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,119,013. A. O. Smith has a one year low of $58.83 and a one year high of $92.45. The company has a market capitalization of $9.37 billion, a PE ratio of 17.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $65.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $71.27.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. 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 return on equity of 28.87% and a net margin of 13.98%. On average, equities analysts expect that A. O. Smith will post 3.76 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other A. O. Smith news, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 1,026 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.65, for a total value of $67,356.90. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 8,889 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $583,562.85. This trade represents a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Douglas Samuel Karge sold 419 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.65, for a total transaction of $27,507.35. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,749 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $180,471.85. This trade represents a 13.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.76% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of A. O. Smith

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of AOS. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,726,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in A. O. Smith by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,231,084 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $83,972,000 after buying an additional 12,305 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. grew its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 27,825 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,898,000 after buying an additional 1,834 shares during the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 124.5% in the 4th quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 6,694 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $457,000 after acquiring an additional 3,712 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the 4th quarter valued at $7,015,000. 76.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.