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

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) had its price target decreased by stock analysts at Barclays from $285.00 to $280.00 in a research note issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “equal weight” rating on the industrial products company’s stock. Barclays‘s target price would suggest a potential upside of 4.28% from the company’s previous close.

ROK has been the topic of several other research reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $290.00 to $350.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. BNP Paribas cut shares of Rockwell Automation from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Stephens raised Rockwell Automation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $275.00 to $350.00 in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $307.42.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ROK opened at $268.50 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $279.51 and its 200-day moving average is $278.65. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.36 billion, a PE ratio of 33.44, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. Rockwell Automation has a 1-year low of $242.81 and a 1-year high of $308.70.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.22. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.38% and a return on equity of 30.17%. Sell-side analysts predict that Rockwell Automation will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Scott Genereux sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.14, for a total value of $145,070.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,905 shares in the company, valued at $552,716.70. This trade represents a 20.79 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 1,231 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.43, for a total transaction of $351,364.33. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 3,650 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,041,819.50. The trade was a 25.22 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 4,352 shares of company stock valued at $1,246,298 in the last 90 days. 0.68% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Rockwell Automation

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. boosted its stake 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 worth $518,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 2.3% in the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 30,626 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $8,222,000 after purchasing an additional 676 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 70.7% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 601 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $161,000 after purchasing an additional 249 shares during the last quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC increased its stake in Rockwell Automation by 6.4% in the 3rd quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 1,725 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $463,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its stake in Rockwell Automation by 8.2% in the 3rd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 21,190 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,688,000 after buying an additional 1,597 shares during the last quarter. 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.