Barclays Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) Stock Price

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) had its target price lowered by investment analysts at Barclays from $450.00 to $400.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the industrial products company’s stock. Barclays‘s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 9.67% from the company’s current price.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on ROK. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $380.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Evercore initiated coverage on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Monday, December 15th. They issued an “in-line” rating and a $440.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $410.00 to $360.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $470.00 price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $329.00 to $448.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $406.67.

Rockwell Automation Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of NYSE:ROK opened at $364.75 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.73, a P/E/G ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 1.16. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $388.40 and a 200-day moving average price of $381.80. Rockwell Automation has a 52-week low of $215.00 and a 52-week high of $438.72.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The industrial products company reported $2.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.46 by $0.29. The company had revenue of $2.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.08 billion. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 34.92% and a net margin of 11.56%.The firm’s revenue was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.83 earnings per share. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.400-12.200 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation will post 9.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In related news, VP Isaac Woods sold 1,271 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $405.69, for a total transaction of $515,631.99. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 1,687 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $684,399.03. This represents a 42.97% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Rebecca W. House sold 12,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $404.27, for a total transaction of $4,891,667.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 12,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,932,094. This represents a 49.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 48,428 shares of company stock worth $19,678,791 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.76% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Rockwell Automation

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC raised its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 3,719 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,544,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. boosted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 1,412 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $549,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV increased its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 1,446 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $563,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,202 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $468,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 7.1% in the third quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 440 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $154,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Rockwell Automation

Here are the key news stories impacting Rockwell Automation this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays kept an “overweight” rating on ROK while trimming its price target to $400 (from $450). The maintained overweight suggests the firm still sees upside (~9.7% from the cited price level), which can support the stock despite the cut. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Rockwell launched a new season of its ROKStudios video series exploring automation → autonomy, a branding/education initiative that helps long‑term customer engagement but is unlikely to move near‑term earnings materially. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysis pieces reviewed Rockwell’s valuation after a recent rebound; these provide context for investors but don’t represent new fundamental changes. Use them to assess whether current multiples (high P/E, elevated beta) match your risk/return profile. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies moved to a “hold” (downgrade), signaling less conviction in near‑term upside and contributing to selling pressure from institutional accounts that follow Jefferies. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo cut its price target to $360 and set an “equal weight” rating — the new target sits below the cited trading level, a direct negative signal for investors focused on near‑term downside. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Robert W. Baird trimmed its price target to $410, and other media pieces flagged three reasons ROK could be risky (competition, valuation, macro sensitivity), which can amplify bearish sentiment among retail and value‑focused funds. Article Title Article Title

Rockwell Automation Company Profile

Rockwell Automation is a global industrial automation and digital transformation company headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The firm designs, manufactures and supports control systems, industrial control hardware and software, and related services that help manufacturers and industrial operators automate processes, improve productivity and enable data-driven decision making. Rockwell traces its heritage to the Allen-Bradley and Rockwell automation businesses and positions itself as a provider of integrated automation solutions across discrete and process industries.

The company’s product portfolio includes programmable logic controllers (PLCs), human-machine interfaces (HMIs), variable frequency drives, sensors, safety components and other industrial control hardware, often marketed under the Allen-Bradley brand.