A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) Rating Reiterated by Oppenheimer

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "market perform" rating reiterated by equities research analysts at Oppenheimer in a report released on Thursday, Benzinga reports.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on AOS. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on A. O. Smith from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note 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. StockNews.com downgraded shares of A. O. Smith from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of A. O. Smith from $85.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, A. O. Smith currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $88.50.

A. O. Smith Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE AOS traded up $0.23 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $86.69. 1,199,173 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 958,171. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $85.11 and a 200-day moving average price of $79.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The company has a market capitalization of $12.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.25. A. O. Smith has a 52-week low of $63.88 and a 52-week high of $89.96.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.96 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 $988.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $985.89 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.86 EPS. A. O. Smith's revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that A. O. Smith will post 4.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Idelle K. Wolf sold 814 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total transaction of $65,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 46,140 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,691,200. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, Director Idelle K. Wolf sold 814 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total transaction of $65,120.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 46,140 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,691,200. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 9,455 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $800,176.65. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 95,631 shares of company stock valued at $8,042,535. Company insiders own 2.70% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On A. O. Smith

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Artemis Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the third quarter worth about $37,000. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in A. O. Smith by 628.0% during the 3rd quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 597 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 515 shares during the last quarter. Addison Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its stake 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 buying an additional 684 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UniSuper Management Pty Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of A. O. Smith during the second quarter worth approximately $66,000. 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.