Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Loop Capital Analyst Says

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) had its target price hoisted by stock analysts at Loop Capital from $280.00 to $290.00 in a research note issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “hold” rating on the industrial products company’s stock. Loop Capital’s price objective would suggest a potential downside of 6.11% from the stock’s current price.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on ROK. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Rockwell Automation from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $257.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $283.00 to $327.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Oppenheimer upped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $258.00 to $304.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $310.37.

Rockwell Automation Stock Up 0.3%

ROK stock opened at $308.89 on Thursday. Rockwell Automation has a fifty-two week low of $215.00 and a fifty-two week high of $310.78. The company has a market cap of $34.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.47, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.32. 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 business’s 50-day moving average is $255.37 and its two-hundred day moving average is $275.02.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.45 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.36. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.17% and a net margin of 11.38%. The business had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.97 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.50 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 293 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $257.68, for a total transaction of $75,500.24. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,922 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $495,260.96. The trade was a 13.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Isaac Woods sold 876 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.03, for a total transaction of $248,810.28. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,057 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $300,219.71. This represents a 45.32% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 6,839 shares of company stock valued at $2,014,256. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rockwell Automation

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ROK. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 142.7% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 7,305 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,887,000 after buying an additional 4,295 shares during the period. HFM Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the first quarter worth about $416,000. MBB Public Markets I LLC acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the first quarter valued at approximately $302,000. Ascent Group LLC lifted its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 8.1% during the 1st quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 4,315 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,115,000 after buying an additional 325 shares in the last quarter. Finally, United Services Automobile Association purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $713,000. 75.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.