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

Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the eighteen brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have issued a hold recommendation and nine have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $301.17.

ROK has been the topic of several recent research reports. KeyCorp raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $345.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 9th. BNP Paribas began coverage on Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $345.00 price objective on the stock. HSBC raised Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $355.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Bank of America increased their price target on Rockwell Automation from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Blake D. Moret sold 26,700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.63, for a total value of $7,973,421.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 78,115 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,327,482.45. This trade represents a 25.47 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Scott Genereux sold 278 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $302.04, for a total transaction of $83,967.12. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 3,184 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $961,695.36. This trade represents a 8.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 35,541 shares of company stock valued at $10,586,674 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rockwell Automation

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the third quarter worth $26,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 100.0% during the third quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 96 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the third quarter valued at about $34,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. grew its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 1,707.7% during the third quarter. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. now owns 235 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $63,000 after acquiring an additional 222 shares during the period. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Rockwell Automation Stock Up 1.0 %

ROK opened at $292.20 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.29, a PEG ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a fifty day moving average of $283.72 and a two-hundred day moving average of $271.80. 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 fifty-two week low of $242.81 and a fifty-two week high of $312.76.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.47 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.07. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.42% and a net margin of 11.53%. The firm had revenue of $2.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.06 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.64 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 20.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Rockwell Automation will post 9.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a $1.31 dividend. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.79%. This is a positive change from Rockwell Automation’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.29%.

Rockwell Automation declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, September 5th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the industrial products company to buy up to 3.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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.