Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) Price Target Raised to $500.00

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) had its price objective upped by Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft from $469.00 to $500.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday morning. The brokerage currently has a hold rating on the industrial products company’s stock.

ROK has been the topic of a number of other reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Monday, September 14th. DA Davidson decreased their price target on Rockwell Automation from $500.00 to $490.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Evercore set a $485.00 price target on Rockwell Automation in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Rockwell Automation in a report on Thursday, September 24th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $426.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Rockwell Automation from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $469.82.

Rockwell Automation Trading Up 2.7%

Rockwell Automation stock opened at $454.50 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.08. The firm has a market cap of $50.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.51. Rockwell Automation has a 1 year low of $332.71 and a 1 year high of $497.36. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $437.45 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $433.75.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $3.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.38 by $0.11. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 39.83% and a net margin of 13.39%.The company had revenue of $2.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.24 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.82 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.000-13.300 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Rockwell Automation will post 13.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation announced that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, June 9th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the industrial products company to buy up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Patricia A. Watson sold 1,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $431.43, for a total transaction of $474,573.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 6,385 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,754,680.55. The trade was a 14.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Christian E. Rothe sold 590 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $434.30, for a total value of $256,237.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 10,429 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,529,314.70. This represents a 5.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold 2,711 shares of company stock worth $1,164,880 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.76% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rockwell Automation

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ROK. Virtus Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the second quarter worth approximately $25,000. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Rockwell Automation by 97.5% in the 4th quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 79 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the period. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, TD Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Company Profile

Rockwell Automation, Inc is a global provider of industrial automation and digital transformation technologies. The company helps manufacturers and other industrial organizations improve productivity, quality, safety, and operational efficiency by connecting industrial equipment, control systems, software, and data.

Its offerings include programmable logic controllers, industrial computers, motor control and drives, sensors, safety systems, human-machine interfaces, and other control and electrical products.