Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the nineteen analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $307.68.

Several research analysts have weighed in on ROK shares. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $240.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Stephens raised Rockwell Automation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $275.00 to $350.00 in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $290.00 to $350.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $315.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th.

Rockwell Automation Trading Down 2.1 %

Shares of NYSE ROK opened at $270.76 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $30.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.72, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. Rockwell Automation has a 12 month low of $242.81 and a 12 month high of $308.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $283.95 and a 200-day simple moving average of $278.97.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last issued its earnings results 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that Rockwell Automation will post 9.35 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a dividend of $1.31 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.94%. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is 65.26%.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 1,231 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.43, for a total value of $351,364.33. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 3,650 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,041,819.50. This trade represents a 25.22 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Isaac Woods sold 895 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.72, for a total value of $245,874.40. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 1,198 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $329,114.56. This represents a 42.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 4,352 shares of company stock worth $1,246,298 in the last 90 days. 0.68% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Rockwell Automation

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Mattson Financial Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 5,000.0% in the 4th quarter. Mattson Financial Services LLC now owns 1,224 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $329,000 after acquiring an additional 1,200 shares during the period. Alpha Wealth Funds LLC bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth approximately $387,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,219,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth approximately $103,000. Finally, Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth approximately $57,000. 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.