Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) Stock Price Target Lowered at Stephens

Key Points

• Stephens cut its Rockwell Automation price target to $500 from $550 but maintained an “overweight” rating, implying 32.7% upside from the share price cited in the article.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed: nine analysts rate the stock Buy and 13 Hold, with a consensus target of $469.14 and an overall Hold rating.
• Rockwell beat quarterly EPS estimates ($3.88 versus $3.69) but missed revenue expectations ($2.33 billion versus $2.41 billion); revenue grew just 0.7% year over year.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) had its price target cut by investment analysts at Stephens from $550.00 to $500.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "overweight" rating on the industrial products company's stock. Stephens's price target indicates a potential upside of 32.70% from the stock's current price.

ROK has been the subject of several other research reports. Morgan Stanley set a $520.00 price target on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Friday, October 16th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Rockwell Automation from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $555.00 to $536.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Evercore set a $485.00 target price on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $469.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 30th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $469.14.

Rockwell Automation Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of ROK traded down $4.26 on Friday, hitting $376.79. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,630,018 shares, compared to its average volume of 864,920. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $430.52 and its 200-day moving average price is $427.46. Rockwell Automation has a fifty-two week low of $347.53 and a fifty-two week high of $497.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $41.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.51.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The industrial products company reported $3.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.69 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $2.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.41 billion. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 39.83% and a net margin of 13.39%. Rockwell Automation's revenue for the quarter was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.34 EPS. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.500-15.500 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Rockwell Automation will post 13.26 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In other news, VP Isaac Woods sold 154 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $432.62, for a total transaction of $66,623.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 1,858 shares of the company's stock, valued at $803,807.96. This trade represents a 7.65% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 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. Also, Director Patricia Watson sold 1,100 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $431.43, for a total transaction of $474,573.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 6,385 shares in the company, valued at $2,754,680.55. This trade represents a 14.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 2,711 shares of company stock valued at $1,164,880 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.76% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Rockwell Automation

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Castle Rock Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 2.2% during the second quarter. Castle Rock Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,038 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $501,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the period. Verus Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 1.3% in the third quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,980 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $862,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Apella Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.9% in the second quarter. Apella Capital LLC now owns 3,261 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,529,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Finivi Inc. increased its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 1.0% in the second quarter. Finivi Inc. now owns 2,935 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,453,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. Finally, Uncommon Cents Investing Inc increased its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 1.0% in the third quarter. Uncommon Cents Investing Inc now owns 3,130 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,363,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Rockwell Automation

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

• Positive Sentiment: Fourth-quarter adjusted EPS was $3.88, above the roughly $3.69–$3.72 analyst estimates and up from $3.34 a year earlier. Margin gains and stronger performance in some segments supported profit growth. Rockwell Automation Q4 Earnings Beat Estimates on Margin Gains
• Neutral Sentiment: Fiscal 2027 guidance calls for EPS of $14.50–$15.50 and revenue of $9.4–$9.7 billion—ranges that bracket analyst expectations of about $14.92 and $9.6 billion, respectively. Rockwell Automation Sees Growth in FY27
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue of $2.33 billion missed the $2.41 billion consensus and increased just 0.7% year over year. Coverage also highlighted flat sales despite margin expansion and AI-related segment growth, raising concerns that profit gains may not yet be matched by broad-based demand. Rockwell Automation misses sales expectations

About Rockwell Automation

Rockwell Automation, Inc NYSE: ROK is a global provider of industrial automation and digital transformation technologies. The company helps manufacturers and industrial organizations improve productivity, safety, quality and operational efficiency through connected hardware, software and services.

Its product portfolio includes industrial control systems, programmable logic controllers, motor control and sensing equipment, industrial computers, safety products, networking technologies and power-control solutions.

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