Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) Stock Rating Upgraded by Barclays

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) was upgraded by stock analysts at Barclays from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a note issued to investors on Friday, Marketbeat reports. The firm presently has a $350.00 price target on the industrial products company’s stock, up from their prior price target of $283.00. Barclays‘s target price would suggest a potential upside of 11.05% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research firms also recently commented on ROK. Loop Capital increased their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $280.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $257.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $283.00 to $327.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, TD Cowen upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $275.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, May 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $313.89.

Rockwell Automation Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:ROK opened at $315.18 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The company’s 50 day moving average is $264.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $277.40. The company has a market cap of $35.53 billion, a PE ratio of 39.25, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.32. Rockwell Automation has a 52 week low of $215.00 and a 52 week high of $316.22.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.45 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.36. The firm had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.97 billion. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.38% and a return on equity of 30.17%. The company’s revenue was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.50 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Rockwell Automation will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In related news, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.14, for a total value of $145,070.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 1,905 shares in the company, valued at $552,716.70. This trade represents a 20.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Matthew W. Fordenwalt sold 450 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.02, for a total transaction of $141,759.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,838 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $894,026.76. This trade represents a 13.69% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 5,182 shares of company stock worth $1,555,841. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Rockwell Automation

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 181.6% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,095 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $562,000 after purchasing an additional 1,351 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas increased its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 39.1% during the 4th quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 1,063 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $304,000 after acquiring an additional 299 shares in the last quarter. Ninety One North America Inc. increased its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Ninety One North America Inc. now owns 34,632 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $9,897,000 after acquiring an additional 1,265 shares in the last quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,968,000. Finally, Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter valued at about $281,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

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.