The Goldman Sachs Group Issues Positive Forecast for Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) Stock Price

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) had its target price upped by research analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group from $257.00 to $290.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “sell” rating on the industrial products company’s stock. The Goldman Sachs Group’s price target suggests a potential downside of 4.63% from the stock’s current price.

ROK has been the topic of several other reports. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $320.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $345.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Mizuho increased their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $307.55.

Rockwell Automation Trading Up 0.6 %

NYSE ROK traded up $1.73 on Tuesday, hitting $304.07. 421,598 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 816,255. 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 twelve month low of $242.81 and a twelve month high of $308.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.35. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $285.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $275.28.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.22. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.53% and a return on equity of 30.42%. Analysts predict that Rockwell Automation will post 9.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Isaac Woods sold 895 shares of Rockwell Automation 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 sale, the vice president now owns 1,198 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $329,114.56. This trade represents a 42.76 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Blake D. Moret sold 1,121 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $302.01, for a total value 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 $24,690,525.54. The trade was a 1.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 35,857 shares of company stock valued at $10,678,037. 0.68% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Rockwell Automation

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Richardson Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 100.0% during the third quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 96 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Rockwell Automation during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. West Oak Capital LLC boosted its position in Rockwell Automation by 455.6% in the fourth quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the third quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.