Stifel Nicolaus Issues Pessimistic Forecast for A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) Stock Price

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) had its target price reduced by equities researchers at Stifel Nicolaus from $84.00 to $75.00 in a research report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the industrial products company’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price target would indicate a potential upside of 17.42% from the stock’s previous close.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. StockNews.com upgraded A. O. Smith from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer cut their target price on A. O. Smith from $88.00 to $84.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $69.00 to $65.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. UBS Group lowered their price objective on A. O. Smith from $80.00 to $74.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $76.50.

A. O. Smith Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AOS opened at $63.87 on Wednesday. A. O. Smith has a 1-year low of $58.83 and a 1-year high of $92.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.60, a P/E/G 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 business has a 50-day moving average price of $65.65 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $71.04.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.90 by ($0.05). A. O. Smith had a net margin of 13.98% and a return on equity of 28.87%. Equities analysts predict that A. O. Smith will post 3.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at A. O. Smith

In other news, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 1,026 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.65, for a total value of $67,356.90. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 8,889 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $583,562.85. This represents a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Douglas Samuel Karge sold 419 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 transaction of $27,507.35. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,749 shares in the company, valued at approximately $180,471.85. The trade was a 13.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.76% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of A. O. Smith

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Ridgewood Investments LLC purchased a new stake in A. O. Smith during the 4th quarter valued at $60,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC purchased a new position in A. O. Smith during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $66,000. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan purchased a new position in shares of A. O. Smith in the 4th quarter valued at about $84,000. Signaturefd LLC grew its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 40.0% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,299 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $89,000 after purchasing an additional 371 shares during the period. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its position in A. O. Smith by 40.4% during the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,571 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $103,000 after acquiring an additional 452 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.