A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) Given New $65.00 Price Target at Citigroup

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) had its target price reduced by Citigroup from $69.00 to $65.00 in a report released on Monday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Citigroup currently has a neutral rating on the industrial products company's stock.

A number of other analysts have also commented on the company. StockNews.com upgraded A. O. Smith from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer reduced their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $88.00 to $84.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. UBS Group reduced their target price 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. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective 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. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $76.50.

A. O. Smith Stock Up 0.4 %

AOS stock traded up $0.23 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $63.09. 1,376,024 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,123,076. A. O. Smith has a fifty-two week low of $58.83 and a fifty-two week high of $92.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $65.50 and its 200 day moving average price is $70.50. The stock has a market cap of $9.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.26.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.85 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%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that A. O. Smith will post 3.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be paid a $0.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.16%. A. O. Smith's dividend payout ratio is currently 37.47%.

Insider Activity

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On A. O. Smith

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AOS. Greenleaf Trust increased its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 5,873 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $401,000 after buying an additional 188 shares during the last quarter. RMR Wealth Builders raised its position in A. O. Smith by 4.5% during the first quarter. RMR Wealth Builders now owns 4,898 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $320,000 after purchasing an additional 209 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its stake in A. O. Smith by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 34,838 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,376,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp boosted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 6,785 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $609,000 after purchasing an additional 253 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisory Alpha LLC increased its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 8.6% during the 4th quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC now owns 3,454 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $236,000 after purchasing an additional 274 shares during the last quarter. 76.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.