Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) have earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the thirteen analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $310.08.

ROK has been the subject of a number of research reports. Oppenheimer dropped their price target on Rockwell Automation from $324.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Citigroup reduced their price target on Rockwell Automation from $330.00 to $322.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 8th. UBS Group raised Rockwell Automation from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $305.00 to $360.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Barclays dropped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $269.00 to $265.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $254.00 target price on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Thursday, March 21st.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In other news, VP Brian A. Shepherd sold 637 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $262.87, for a total transaction of $167,448.19. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 5,088 shares in the company, valued at $1,337,482.56. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, CEO Blake D. Moret acquired 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $283.64 per share, for a total transaction of $992,740.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 77,215 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,901,262.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Brian A. Shepherd sold 637 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $262.87, for a total value of $167,448.19. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 5,088 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,337,482.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 17,877 shares of company stock worth $5,058,772 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rockwell Automation

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Provence Wealth Management Group purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the third quarter worth about $27,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation in the first quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, BluePath Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation in the third quarter valued at about $29,000. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Rockwell Automation Stock Down 0.3 %

ROK stock opened at $275.56 on Friday. Rockwell Automation has a 1-year low of $252.11 and a 1-year high of $348.52. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $282.59 and a 200-day moving average price of $283.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 1.43.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.62 by ($0.58). Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 13.35% and a return on equity of 37.22%. The firm had revenue of $2.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.46 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation will post 11.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th will be paid a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.81%. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is currently 47.57%.

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.