Zacks Research Issues Optimistic Outlook for ROK Earnings

Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) – Analysts at Zacks Research raised their Q1 2028 earnings per share estimates for Rockwell Automation in a research report issued on Friday, July 24th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the industrial products company will earn $3.63 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $3.62. Zacks Research has a “Strong-Buy” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Rockwell Automation’s current full-year earnings is $13.06 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Rockwell Automation’s Q2 2028 earnings at $3.86 EPS, Q3 2028 earnings at $4.03 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $16.21 EPS.

Several other equities analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup lifted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $500.00 to $555.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $380.00 price objective (down from $490.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $448.00 to $487.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, DA Davidson began coverage on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $500.00 target price on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $469.33.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

ROK opened at $462.55 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $461.94 and its 200 day moving average price is $422.16. Rockwell Automation has a 12-month low of $305.44 and a 12-month high of $497.36. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The firm has a market cap of $51.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.08, a PEG ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 1.54.

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

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be given a $1.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 57.38%.

Rockwell Automation declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, June 9th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the industrial products company to purchase up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Scott Genereux sold 550 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $447.73, for a total value of $246,251.50. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 2,764 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,237,525.72. This trade represents a 16.60% decrease in their position. The sale 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, SVP Matthew W. Fordenwalt sold 600 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $449.58, for a total value of $269,748.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 4,437 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,994,786.46. This trade represents a 11.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 9,361 shares of company stock worth $4,189,886. Corporate insiders own 0.76% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Rockwell Automation

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ROK. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 14,206,311 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,527,249,000 after purchasing an additional 114,469 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in Rockwell Automation by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,996,130 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,943,844,000 after acquiring an additional 202,705 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Rockwell Automation by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,924,501 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,133,397,000 after acquiring an additional 17,855 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its stake in Rockwell Automation by 10.4% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 2,921,840 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,136,801,000 after acquiring an additional 276,021 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in Rockwell Automation by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,104,985 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $818,986,000 after acquiring an additional 24,719 shares during the period. 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.