Brokerages Set Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Target Price at $307.42

Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the nineteen research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three research 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 12-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $307.42.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on ROK. HSBC upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $355.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Stephens upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $275.00 to $350.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $257.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Rockwell Automation from $315.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In related news, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 1,231 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.43, for a total value of $351,364.33. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 3,650 shares in the company, valued at $1,041,819.50. This trade represents a 25.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 850 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.21, for a total value of $255,178.50. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,633 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $490,242.93. This represents a 34.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 4,645 shares of company stock worth $1,321,798. Insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rockwell Automation

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 14.0% in the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 4,897 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,315,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario boosted its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 50.9% during the third quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario now owns 3,854 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,035,000 after buying an additional 1,300 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 6,012 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,614,000 after buying an additional 149 shares during the period. IHT Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 10.7% in the 3rd quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,960 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $791,000 after acquiring an additional 285 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $8,909,000. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Rockwell Automation Stock Up 0.1 %

NYSE ROK opened at $227.38 on Friday. Rockwell Automation has a twelve month low of $215.71 and a twelve month high of $308.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.08. The stock has a market cap of $25.71 billion, a PE ratio of 28.32, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $273.76 and a 200 day simple moving average of $278.17.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last announced 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 return on equity of 30.17% and a net margin of 11.38%. On average, research analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation will post 9.35 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th will be given a $1.31 dividend. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.26%.

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.