Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Receives $304.16 Average Target Price from Analysts

Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the nineteen analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $304.16.

A number of analysts have issued reports on ROK shares. Barclays cut their target price on Rockwell Automation from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $240.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Stephens raised Rockwell Automation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $275.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $345.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In other news, SVP Veena M. Lakkundi sold 579 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $266.86, for a total transaction of $154,511.94. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 4,576 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,221,151.36. The trade was a 11.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Isaac Woods sold 895 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.72, for a total value of $245,874.40. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,198 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $329,114.56. This trade represents a 42.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 36,436 shares of company stock worth $10,832,549 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rockwell Automation

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 96 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. West Oak Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 455.6% in the fourth quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the second quarter worth $36,000. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Rockwell Automation Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:ROK opened at $289.09 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $32.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.91, a PEG ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 1.36. Rockwell Automation has a 12-month low of $242.81 and a 12-month high of $307.71. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $288.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $274.71. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.07. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.53% and a return on equity of 30.42%. The business had revenue of $2.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.06 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.64 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 20.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Rockwell Automation will post 9.32 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a dividend of $1.31 per share. This is a boost from Rockwell Automation’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.81%. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is presently 63.29%.

Rockwell Automation Company Profile

Rockwell Automation, Inc provides industrial automation and digital transformation solutions in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Latin America. The company operates through three segments, Intelligent Devices, Software & Control, and Lifecycle Services. Its solutions include hardware and software products and services.