A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) Given New $92.00 Price Target at Robert W. Baird

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Free Report) had its price target boosted by Robert W. Baird from $86.00 to $92.00 in a research report released on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a neutral rating on the industrial products company's stock.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on AOS. StockNews.com lowered shares of A. O. Smith from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $82.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on A. O. Smith from $85.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, Oppenheimer reaffirmed a market perform rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $90.67.

A. O. Smith Trading Up 0.4 %

AOS traded up $0.33 during trading on Friday, reaching $83.15. 1,316,242 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 986,730. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The stock's 50-day moving average is $85.71 and its 200 day moving average is $79.85. A. O. Smith has a 12 month low of $63.88 and a 12 month high of $89.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.24 billion, a PE ratio of 22.47, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.25.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $1.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.99 by $0.01. A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 31.05% and a net margin of 14.45%. The company had revenue of $978.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $995.91 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.94 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that A. O. Smith will post 4.09 earnings per share for the current year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 29th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.54%. A. O. Smith's dividend payout ratio is presently 34.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling at A. O. Smith

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On A. O. Smith

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AOS. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 628.0% in the third quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 597 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 515 shares in the last quarter. Addison Advisors LLC grew its stake in A. O. Smith by 36.1% in the 3rd quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 712 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA increased its position in shares of A. O. Smith by 393.1% during the 3rd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 858 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 684 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd raised its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 39.2% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,203 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $79,000 after purchasing an additional 339 shares during the period. Finally, Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith by 25.5% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 961 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $79,000 after buying an additional 195 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.