Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) Sets New 52-Week High – Here’s Why

Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $489.99 and last traded at $486.5340, with a volume of 31361 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $482.33.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on ROK shares. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $466.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $404.00 to $417.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $448.00 to $487.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, HSBC boosted their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $445.00 to $490.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $457.50.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $54.77 billion, a PE ratio of 51.19, a PEG ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 1.57. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $446.70 and a two-hundred day moving average of $412.75. 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 (NYSE:ROK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The industrial products company reported $3.30 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.45 EPS. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.500-13.100 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 13.02 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Monday, August 17th will be issued a dividend of $1.38 per share. 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 1.1%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is 57.38%.

Rockwell Automation announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Tuesday, June 9th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the industrial products company to repurchase up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, SVP Christopher Nardecchia sold 2,538 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were 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 owned 14,232 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,353,591.76. The trade was a 15.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, VP John M. Miller sold 1,054 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $426.02, for a total transaction of $449,025.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 5,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,392,102.30. This trade represents a 15.80% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 12,308 shares of company stock valued at $5,339,812 in the last quarter. 0.76% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rockwell Automation

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Rockwell Automation by 97.5% in the 4th quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 79 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. First Horizon Corp acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Finally, TD Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Company Profile

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.