Brokerages Set Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Target Price at $310.08

Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the thirteen analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have given a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $310.08.

ROK has been the topic of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated an “underweight” rating and set a $254.00 price target on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. Oppenheimer dropped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $324.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Citigroup reduced their price target on Rockwell Automation from $330.00 to $322.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 8th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Rockwell Automation from $357.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $269.00 to $265.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

Shares of ROK opened at $280.17 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $32.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.43. The business’s 50-day moving average is $282.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $283.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 1.25. Rockwell Automation has a fifty-two week low of $252.11 and a fifty-two week high of $348.52.

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

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th will be given a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is 47.57%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Rockwell Automation

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ROK. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,915 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $595,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC grew its position in Rockwell Automation by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 1,168 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $363,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its stake in Rockwell Automation by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,115 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $346,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Cohen Lawrence B raised its position in Rockwell Automation by 0.5% in the third quarter. Cohen Lawrence B now owns 8,319 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,378,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Finally, Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 24.2% in the 3rd quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 195 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Rockwell Automation

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.