Barclays Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) Stock Price

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) had its price target trimmed by Barclays from $290.00 to $285.00 in a research report report published on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an equal weight rating on the industrial products company's stock.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Rockwell Automation from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the company from $290.00 to $350.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Bank of America raised their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Mizuho upped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Rockwell Automation from $293.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $313.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $300.89.

Rockwell Automation Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:ROK traded down $1.87 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $279.44. 485,253 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 546,730. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $287.14 and its 200 day simple moving average is $273.78. The firm has a market cap of $31.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.75, a PEG ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.08. Rockwell Automation has a 52-week low of $242.81 and a 52-week high of $307.71.

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

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were given a dividend of $1.31 per share. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.88%. This is a boost from Rockwell Automation's previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio is presently 63.29%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In related news, VP Scott Genereux sold 278 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $302.04, for a total value of $83,967.12. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 3,184 shares in the company, valued at $961,695.36. This trade represents a 8.03 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Blake D. Moret sold 1,121 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $302.01, for a total transaction of $338,553.21. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 81,754 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $24,690,525.54. This trade represents a 1.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 35,541 shares of company stock worth $10,586,674. 0.68% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Rockwell Automation

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Prospera Financial Services Inc increased its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.9% during 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 purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. grew its position in Rockwell Automation by 2.2% in 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 buying an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Second Line Capital LLC increased its stake in Rockwell Automation by 5.1% during the 2nd quarter. Second Line Capital LLC now owns 963 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $265,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the period. Richardson Financial Services Inc. raised its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 96 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $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 3rd quarter. Moran Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,342 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $629,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company's stock.

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.