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

Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) have received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the thirteen brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have assigned a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $310.08.

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on ROK shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $254.00 price target on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Thursday, March 21st. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Oppenheimer reduced their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $324.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Berenberg Bank restated a “hold” rating and issued a $290.00 target price (down previously from $330.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $330.00 to $322.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 8th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Rockwell Automation news, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.00, for a total value of $145,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,383 shares in the company, valued at $691,070. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Rockwell Automation news, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.00, for a total transaction of $145,000.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $691,070. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Nicholas C. Gangestad sold 1,989 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $288.17, for a total value of $573,170.13. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 12,217 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,520,572.89. 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. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Rockwell Automation

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. KLCM Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Rockwell Automation by 16.6% during the third quarter. KLCM Advisors Inc. now owns 1,136 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $325,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 9.4% during the 3rd quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 2,728 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $780,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 676.7% during the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 32,156 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $9,984,000 after purchasing an additional 28,016 shares in the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.9% in the third quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 11,423 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,266,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Carnegie Capital Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. Carnegie Capital Asset Management LLC now owns 85,551 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $26,562,000 after buying an additional 4,093 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Shares of ROK stock opened at $280.17 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $32.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.43. 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 one year low of $252.11 and a one year high of $348.52. The company’s 50-day moving average is $282.51 and its 200 day moving average is $283.77.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.62 by ($0.58). The firm 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 previous year, the company earned $2.46 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Rockwell Automation will post 11.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

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

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.