Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Receives Consensus Rating of "Hold" from Brokerages

Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Hold" from the nineteen analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have issued a hold recommendation and ten have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $304.16.

ROK has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $293.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Mizuho increased their target price on Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $345.00 price target on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Rockwell Automation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $290.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $313.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Scott Genereux sold 278 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $302.04, for a total transaction of $83,967.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 3,184 shares in the company, valued at approximately $961,695.36. The trade was a 8.03 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Veena M. Lakkundi sold 579 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $266.86, for a total transaction of $154,511.94. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 4,576 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,221,151.36. The trade was a 11.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 36,436 shares of company stock valued at $10,832,549 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Prospera Financial Services Inc lifted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.9% in the third quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 4,033 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,083,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. raised its stake in Rockwell Automation by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 1,928 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $518,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Second Line Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 5.1% in the 2nd quarter. Second Line Capital LLC now owns 963 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $265,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 96 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Moran Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 2.1% during the third quarter. Moran Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,342 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $629,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company's stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ROK traded up $6.10 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $287.06. The company had a trading volume of 942,067 shares, compared to its average volume of 719,310. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Rockwell Automation has a 1 year low of $242.81 and a 1 year high of $307.71. The company has a market capitalization of $32.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.36. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $287.88 and its 200-day moving average price is $274.37.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.07. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.42% and a net margin of 11.53%. The business had revenue of $2.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.06 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.64 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down 20.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation will post 9.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a dividend of $1.31 per share. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.83%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This is a boost from Rockwell Automation's previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 63.29%.

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.