Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) Price Target Raised to $280.00

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) had its target price increased by investment analysts at Loop Capital from $260.00 to $280.00 in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “hold” rating on the industrial products company’s stock. Loop Capital’s price objective indicates a potential downside of 3.24% from the company’s current price.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $313.00 target price for the company. BNP Paribas downgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $315.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $240.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $307.55.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ROK traded down $3.25 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $289.39. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 269,059 shares, compared to its average volume of 840,491. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average of $286.23 and a 200 day moving average of $277.78. 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 $32.72 billion, a PE ratio of 36.10, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.35.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last announced its quarterly 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%. On average, equities analysts expect that Rockwell Automation will post 9.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In related news, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 850 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.21, for a total transaction of $255,178.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,633 shares in the company, valued at approximately $490,242.93. The trade was a 34.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Scott Genereux sold 279 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $296.13, for a total transaction of $82,620.27. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,891 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $856,111.83. This represents a 8.80 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 6,540 shares of company stock valued at $1,935,134 over the last 90 days. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ROK. Ascent Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 13.4% in the 4th quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 3,990 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,140,000 after purchasing an additional 470 shares during the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 10,570 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,021,000 after buying an additional 340 shares during the period. Forum Financial Management LP purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth about $220,000. Toronto Dominion Bank increased its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 28.8% during the fourth quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 50,382 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $14,398,000 after acquiring an additional 11,269 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vise Technologies Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $252,000. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.