Citigroup Cuts A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) Price Target to $74.00

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) had its price target decreased by equities research analysts at Citigroup from $78.00 to $74.00 in a research report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “neutral” rating on the industrial products company’s stock. Citigroup’s price target suggests a potential upside of 12.29% from the stock’s previous close.

AOS has been the topic of several other reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Wednesday, December 24th. Robert W. Baird set a $77.00 price objective on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $75.00 price objective on shares of A. O. Smith and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $85.00 price objective on shares of A. O. Smith and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of A. O. Smith from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $76.56.

A. O. Smith Stock Performance

AOS traded down $0.02 during trading on Monday, hitting $65.90. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 246,320 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,402,670. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. A. O. Smith has a one year low of $61.35 and a one year high of $81.86. The firm has a market cap of $9.11 billion, a PE ratio of 17.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.35. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $71.64 and its 200-day simple moving average is $69.63.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $0.90 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.06. A. O. Smith had a net margin of 14.26% and a return on equity of 29.51%. The business had revenue of $912.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $928.97 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.85 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that A. O. Smith will post 3.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Darrell W. Schuh sold 1,104 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.39, for a total value of $82,126.56. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 2,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $163,732.39. The trade was a 33.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Rothschild Investment LLC lifted its stake in A. O. Smith by 3,125.0% in the third quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 387 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 375 shares during the last quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV lifted its stake in A. O. Smith by 3,481.8% in the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 394 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 383 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in A. O. Smith in the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Torren Management LLC purchased a new position in A. O. Smith in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new position in A. O. Smith in the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

A. O. Smith Company Profile

A. O. Smith Corporation, based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is a leading manufacturer of water heating and water treatment products for residential and commercial applications. Since its founding in 1874, the company has built a reputation for producing reliable, energy-efficient water heaters, boilers and pressure vessels. Its product portfolio encompasses gas, electric, condensing and tankless water heaters, as well as specialty boilers designed to meet a variety of building and industrial needs.

The company operates through two primary segments: North America and Asia.