Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) Sets New 52-Week High Following Analyst Upgrade

Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday after JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on the stock from $357.00 to $400.00. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has a neutral rating on the stock. Rockwell Automation traded as high as $398.20 and last traded at $396.5950, with a volume of 207731 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $392.08.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Rockwell Automation from $355.00 to $380.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. KeyCorp upped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $370.00 to $380.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Bank of America upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $360.00 to $410.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $391.00 price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $370.00 to $417.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $364.75.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 822 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $365.00, for a total value of $300,030.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 983 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $358,795. This trade represents a 45.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Isaac Woods sold 365 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $348.44, for a total value of $127,180.60. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 1,691 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $589,212.04. The trade was a 17.75% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 92,075 shares of company stock valued at $34,820,361. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Rockwell Automation

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ROK. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth $281,000. New York State Common Retirement Fund lifted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 70,691 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $18,265,000 after purchasing an additional 862 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 3.7% during the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,353 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $608,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Sigma Planning Corp boosted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 3,993 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,032,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. Finally, Apollon Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 37.7% in the 1st quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,976 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,286,000 after buying an additional 1,363 shares during the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $352.87 and a 200-day simple moving average of $335.14. The stock has a market cap of $44.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.45.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The industrial products company reported $3.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.94 by $0.40. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.14% and a net margin of 12.03%.The company had revenue of $2.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.47 earnings per share. Rockwell Automation’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.200-12.200 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 17th will be issued a dividend of $1.38 per share. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 17th. This is a positive change from Rockwell Automation’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.31. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is presently 72.06%.

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.