Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $449.1579.

Several research firms have commented on ROK. Wall Street Zen downgraded Rockwell Automation from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Rockwell Automation from $404.00 to $417.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $380.00 target price (down from $490.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their target price on Rockwell Automation from $365.00 to $378.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Rockwell Automation from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation 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 value of $1,133,039.34. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 4,024 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $451.97, for a total value of $1,818,727.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 134 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $60,563.98. This represents a 96.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 11,931 shares of company stock valued at $5,166,199. 0.76% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rockwell Automation

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ROK. MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 97.5% during the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 79 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the first quarter worth about $31,000. First Horizon Corp bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

NYSE:ROK opened at $461.76 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $415.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $403.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.38 billion, a PE ratio of 48.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 1.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. Rockwell Automation has a twelve month low of $305.44 and a twelve month high of $468.11.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The industrial products company reported $3.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.88 by $0.42. The business had revenue of $2.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.16 billion. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 37.54% and a net margin of 12.36%.Rockwell Automation’s revenue was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.45 earnings per share. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.500-13.100 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation will post 13.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th will be given a $1.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 18th. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 57.38%.

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.