Stifel Nicolaus Has Lowered Expectations for A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) Stock Price

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) had its price target reduced by stock analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $84.00 to $75.00 in a report released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a "buy" rating on the industrial products company's stock. Stifel Nicolaus' price objective suggests a potential upside of 18.87% from the stock's current price.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on AOS. StockNews.com raised A. O. Smith from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer dropped their price target on 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. UBS Group reduced 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. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $69.00 to $65.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $76.50.

A. O. Smith Stock Up 0.4 %

NYSE AOS traded up $0.23 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $63.09. 1,376,024 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,123,076. A. O. Smith has a 1 year low of $58.83 and a 1 year high of $92.45. The stock has a market cap of $9.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.55. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $65.50 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $70.62.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.90 by ($0.05). A. O. Smith had a net margin of 13.98% and a return on equity of 28.87%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that A. O. Smith will post 3.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

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

Institutional Trading of A. O. Smith

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in A. O. Smith by 7.5% in the first quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,380 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $417,000 after purchasing an additional 445 shares during the last quarter. Precedent Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the 1st quarter valued at $1,573,000. Cypress Advisory Group LLC raised its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 7.9% in the 1st quarter. Cypress Advisory Group LLC now owns 10,700 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $699,000 after buying an additional 780 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its holdings in A. O. Smith by 32.0% in the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 205,846 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $13,454,000 after acquiring an additional 49,862 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in A. O. Smith by 41.6% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 7,089 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $463,000 after acquiring an additional 2,084 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.10% of the company's stock.

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.