Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) Hits New 52-Week High After Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) reached a new 52-week high during 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 traded. The stock had previously closed at $392.08.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on the company. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $391.00 price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Friday. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $385.00 to $435.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, September 21st. Barclays boosted their price target on Rockwell Automation from $370.00 to $417.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $360.78.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In other news, VP Isaac Woods sold 250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $350.00, for a total value of $87,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 1,662 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $581,700. The trade was a 13.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director James P. Keane sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.06, for a total value of $1,068,180.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 9,192 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,272,903.52. This represents a 24.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 92,075 shares of company stock valued at $34,820,361 over the last ninety days. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rockwell Automation

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 468.8% during the 3rd quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 91 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Rexford Capital Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. boosted its position in Rockwell Automation by 48.7% during the 2nd quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 116 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Financial Gravity Companies Inc. bought a new position in Rockwell Automation during the 2nd quarter worth $40,000. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $44.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $351.76 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $334.73.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The industrial products company reported $3.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $2.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.47 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.200-12.200 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 17th will be given a dividend of $1.38 per share. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. This is a boost from Rockwell Automation’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.31. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 17th. 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.