Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Morgan Stanley Analyst Says

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) had its price target lifted by Morgan Stanley from $335.00 to $345.00 in a research report report published on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an overweight rating on the industrial products company’s stock.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Stephens upgraded Rockwell Automation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $275.00 to $350.00 in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $285.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $345.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America lifted their price target on Rockwell Automation from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on Rockwell Automation from $345.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $308.05.

Rockwell Automation Stock Down 0.6 %

Rockwell Automation stock opened at $302.01 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $34.14 billion, a PE ratio of 36.47, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.35. Rockwell Automation has a 12-month low of $242.81 and a 12-month high of $308.70. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $286.07 and its 200 day moving average is $275.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.22. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.42% and a net margin of 11.53%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Rockwell Automation will post 9.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a dividend of $1.31 per share. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.74%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is currently 63.29%.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In related news, VP John M. Miller sold 467 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.07, for a total transaction of $132,660.69. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,800 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,363,536. The trade was a 8.87 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Scott Genereux sold 279 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $296.13, for a total value of $82,620.27. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,891 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $856,111.83. This represents a 8.80 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 35,857 shares of company stock worth $10,678,037. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 96 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. West Oak Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 455.6% during the 4th quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.