Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) Downgraded by Zacks Research to Hold

Posted by Francis Steltz on Aug 1st, 2026

Zacks Research downgraded shares of Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK – Free Report) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning,Zacks.com reports. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Rockwell Automation’s Q2 2027 earnings at $3.38 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $3.64 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $3.88 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $13.90 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $3.63 EPS, Q2 2028 earnings at $3.86 EPS, Q3 2028 earnings at $4.03 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $16.21 EPS.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on ROK. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $525.00 price target on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. KeyCorp boosted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $470.00 to $510.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. DA Davidson started coverage on Rockwell Automation in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $500.00 price objective for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $448.00 to $487.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, HSBC lifted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $445.00 to $490.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $469.33.

View Our Latest Report on ROK

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

NYSE:ROK opened at $481.31 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $465.17 and a two-hundred day moving average of $424.20. Rockwell Automation has a fifty-two week low of $305.44 and a fifty-two week high of $497.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.56 billion, a PE ratio of 50.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 1.09.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The industrial products company reported $3.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.88 by $0.42. The business had revenue of $2.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.16 billion. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 37.54% and a net margin of 12.36%.The business’s revenue was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.45 earnings per share. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.500-13.100 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation will post 13.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase 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 repurchase up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be issued a $1.38 dividend. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is currently 57.38%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, SVP Christopher Nardecchia sold 2,538 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $446.43, for a total value of $1,133,039.34. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 14,232 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,353,591.76. This represents a 15.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Matthew W. Fordenwalt sold 600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $449.58, for a total value of $269,748.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 4,437 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,994,786.46. The trade was a 11.91% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 9,361 shares of company stock worth $4,189,886. Company insiders own 0.76% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rockwell Automation

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter valued at about $615,596,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in Rockwell Automation by 5,925.6% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 906,192 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $352,572,000 after buying an additional 891,153 shares in the last quarter. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth approximately $156,017,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 25.0% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,545,104 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $601,154,000 after acquiring an additional 309,316 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. raised its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 1,666.2% in the 3rd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 321,722 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $112,451,000 after acquiring an additional 303,506 shares during the period. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Rockwell Automation Company Profile

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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.