Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) Raised to “Strong-Buy” at Zacks Research

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) was upgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Rockwell Automation’s Q3 2028 earnings at $4.02 EPS.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $466.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Rockwell Automation from $448.00 to $487.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on Rockwell Automation in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $501.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $360.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $365.00 to $378.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $462.82.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ROK opened at $471.99 on Wednesday. Rockwell Automation has a twelve month low of $305.44 and a twelve month high of $497.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.06, a P/E/G ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 1.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $450.93 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $414.32.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The industrial products company reported $3.30 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.88 by $0.42. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 12.36% and a return on equity of 37.54%. The firm had revenue of $2.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.16 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.45 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.500-13.100 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation will post 13.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, June 9th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the industrial products company to buy up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In related news, SVP Christopher Nardecchia sold 2,538 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $446.43, for a total transaction of $1,133,039.34. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 14,232 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,353,591.76. This trade represents a 15.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Matthew W. Fordenwalt sold 1,200 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $400.00, for a total transaction of $480,000.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 4,437 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,774,800. The trade was a 21.29% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 12,009 shares of company stock valued at $5,232,471. 0.76% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rockwell Automation

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth $281,000. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 75.9% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 8,139 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,059,000 after acquiring an additional 3,513 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in Rockwell Automation by 142.7% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 7,305 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,887,000 after purchasing an additional 4,295 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 233.6% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,878 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $484,000 after acquiring an additional 1,315 shares during the period. Finally, Jump Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the second quarter worth $868,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

About Rockwell Automation

Rockwell Automation is a global industrial automation and digital transformation company headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The firm designs, manufactures and supports control systems, industrial control hardware and software, and related services that help manufacturers and industrial operators automate processes, improve productivity and enable data-driven decision making. Rockwell traces its heritage to the Allen-Bradley and Rockwell automation businesses and positions itself as a provider of integrated automation solutions across discrete and process industries.

The company’s product portfolio includes programmable logic controllers (PLCs), human-machine interfaces (HMIs), variable frequency drives, sensors, safety components and other industrial control hardware, often marketed under the Allen-Bradley brand.