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

Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) has earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the fifteen research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $307.21.

ROK has been the subject of several analyst reports. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $322.00 to $316.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and issued a $254.00 price target on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Thursday, March 21st. Berenberg Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $290.00 price target (down from $330.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $310.00 to $304.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. Finally, Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 8th.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In related news, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 528 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $253.78, for a total value of $133,995.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 3,718 shares in the company, valued at approximately $943,554.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, VP Isaac Woods sold 297 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $256.38, for a total transaction of $76,144.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,833 shares in the company, valued at approximately $469,944.54. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 528 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $253.78, for a total transaction of $133,995.84. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 3,718 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $943,554.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 2,199 shares of company stock worth $572,750 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rockwell Automation

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in ROK. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter valued at about $380,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in 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 buying an additional 28,016 shares in the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV lifted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 0.9% during the third quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 11,423 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,266,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Carnegie Capital Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Carnegie Capital Asset Management LLC now owns 85,551 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,562,000 after buying an additional 4,093 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lincoln National Corp lifted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 76.5% during the fourth quarter. Lincoln National Corp now owns 3,111 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $966,000 after buying an additional 1,348 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

ROK opened at $254.39 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Rockwell Automation has a 52-week low of $249.00 and a 52-week high of $348.52. The company has a 50 day moving average of $269.74 and a two-hundred day moving average of $282.56. The company has a market cap of $29.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.87, a P/E/G ratio of 4.07 and a beta of 1.37.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 8th. The industrial products company reported $2.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.15 by $0.35. The company had revenue of $2.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.05 billion. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 13.19% and a return on equity of 34.83%. Rockwell Automation’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.01 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Rockwell Automation will post 10.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Monday, August 12th will be given a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 12th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.97%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.88%.

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.