Stifel Nicolaus Boosts A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) Price Target to $91.00

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) had its price target hoisted by analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $85.00 to $91.00 in a research note issued on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “hold” rating on the industrial products company’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price target points to a potential upside of 5.07% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, April 8th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of A. O. Smith from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $88.50.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

Shares of AOS stock traded up $1.21 on Wednesday, reaching $86.61. 1,188,397 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 946,734. A. O. Smith has a 1 year low of $63.88 and a 1 year high of $89.96. The company has a market cap of $12.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.59. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $84.84 and a 200 day moving average price of $78.95.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.96 by $0.01. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 14.45% and a return on equity of 31.05%. The company had revenue of $988.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $985.89 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.86 EPS. A. O. Smith’s revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that A. O. Smith will post 4.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other A. O. Smith news, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 9,890 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.63, for a total transaction of $836,990.70. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 9,455 shares in the company, valued at approximately $800,176.65. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other A. O. Smith news, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 9,890 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.63, for a total value of $836,990.70. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 9,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $800,176.65. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Ajita G. Rajendra sold 60,258 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.51, for a total transaction of $5,092,403.58. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 56,951 shares in the company, valued at $4,812,929.01. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 95,631 shares of company stock worth $8,042,535 in the last ninety days. 2.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 3,230 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $214,000 after buying an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. grew its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 4,762 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $315,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 4.1% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,105 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $299,000 after buying an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. American International Group Inc. grew its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. American International Group Inc. now owns 33,231 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,740,000 after buying an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Republic Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter. First Republic Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,922 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $652,000 after buying an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. 76.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.