A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) Given New $76.00 Price Target at Robert W. Baird

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) had its target price boosted by stock analysts at Robert W. Baird from $75.00 to $76.00 in a research report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "neutral" rating on the industrial products company's stock. Robert W. Baird's price objective suggests a potential upside of 11.00% from the stock's current price.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $80.00 to $74.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of A. O. Smith from $69.00 to $65.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Thursday, April 24th. StockNews.com raised shares of A. O. Smith from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on A. O. Smith from $84.00 to $75.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $76.17.

A. O. Smith Stock Up 1.6 %

NYSE:AOS traded up $1.06 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $68.47. 877,233 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,138,442. A. O. Smith has a one year low of $58.83 and a one year high of $92.45. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $65.35 and a 200 day moving average price of $69.16. The company has a market cap of $9.86 billion, a PE ratio of 18.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 0.96.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The industrial products company reported $0.95 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $963.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $950.56 million. A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 28.87% and a net margin of 13.98%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.00 EPS. Equities analysts predict that A. O. Smith will post 3.76 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at A. O. Smith

In related 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 transaction of $27,507.35. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,749 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Robert J. Heideman sold 1,026 shares of A. O. Smith stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.65, for a total transaction of $67,356.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 8,889 shares of the company's stock, valued at $583,562.85. The trade was a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.76% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of A. O. Smith

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AOS. Ridgewood Investments LLC purchased a new stake in A. O. Smith during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $60,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of A. O. Smith during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $66,000. Intact Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in A. O. Smith during the 1st quarter valued at $72,000. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its position in A. O. Smith by 22.1% in the first quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 1,181 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $77,000 after buying an additional 214 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan purchased a new position in A. O. Smith during the fourth quarter worth $84,000. 76.10% of the stock is currently 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.