Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" by Analysts

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. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have issued a hold recommendation and nine have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $307.68.

Several research firms have weighed in on ROK. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $285.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. HSBC upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $355.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $315.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $257.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

Rockwell Automation stock traded down $6.68 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $255.30. The company's stock had a trading volume of 599,445 shares, compared to its average volume of 828,556. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.79, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. Rockwell Automation has a twelve month low of $242.81 and a twelve month high of $308.70. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $282.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $278.64.

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Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.22. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.38% and a return on equity of 30.17%. Research analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a dividend of $1.31 per share. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. Rockwell Automation's payout ratio is currently 65.26%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Isaac Woods sold 895 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.72, for a total transaction of $245,874.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,198 shares in the company, valued at approximately $329,114.56. This represents a 42.76 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 1,231 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.43, for a total value of $351,364.33. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 3,650 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,041,819.50. This represents a 25.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 4,352 shares of company stock valued at $1,246,298 in the last quarter. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rockwell Automation

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mattson Financial Services LLC grew its stake in Rockwell Automation by 5,000.0% in the fourth quarter. Mattson Financial Services LLC now owns 1,224 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $329,000 after purchasing an additional 1,200 shares during the last quarter. Alpha Wealth Funds LLC acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth about $387,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth about $36,219,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth about $103,000. Finally, Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth about $57,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.75% of the company's stock.

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.