Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Receives $287.13 Consensus Price Target from Brokerages

Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) has received a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the fifteen analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $287.13.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Rockwell Automation from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $227.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 12th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, BNP Paribas assumed coverage on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $345.00 target price for the company.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In other news, SVP Cyril Perducat sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $300,000.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 3,630 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,089,000. This represents a 21.60 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Blake D. Moret sold 26,700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.63, for a total transaction of $7,973,421.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 78,115 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $23,327,482.45. This trade represents a 25.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 30,746 shares of company stock valued at $9,152,594. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Tidal Investments LLC raised its position in Rockwell Automation by 7.1% in the 1st quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 4,680 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,363,000 after purchasing an additional 311 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 336.5% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 27,307 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $7,956,000 after acquiring an additional 21,051 shares during the period. Cetera Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 30.3% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 7,122 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,075,000 after acquiring an additional 1,658 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Rockwell Automation by 142.0% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,522 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $419,000 after acquiring an additional 893 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Boston Common Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the second quarter worth $4,704,000. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company's stock.

Rockwell Automation Trading Up 0.1 %

ROK stock traded up $0.19 during trading on Friday, reaching $295.14. The company had a trading volume of 395,626 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,136,709. The business has a 50 day moving average of $274.63 and a 200 day moving average of $267.98. The company has a market cap of $33.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.64, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.72. Rockwell Automation has a 52 week low of $242.81 and a 52 week high of $312.76.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.07. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.53% and a return on equity of 30.42%. The firm had revenue of $2.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.06 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.64 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down 20.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation will post 9.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be issued a $1.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. This is a boost from Rockwell Automation's previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.78%. Rockwell Automation's payout ratio is currently 63.29%.

Rockwell Automation declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, September 5th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the industrial products company to buy up to 3.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

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.