Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Stock Has Consensus Target Price of $469.82 According to Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts have a consensus “Hold” rating on Rockwell Automation, with 13 holds and 9 buys among 22 analysts. The average 12-month price target is $469.82, modestly above the reported $450.29 share price.
• Rockwell beat quarterly expectations, reporting $3.49 in EPS versus the $3.38 consensus and $2.31 billion in revenue, up 7.9% year over year. Analysts forecast full-year EPS of approximately $13.25.
• The board authorized a $1 billion stock repurchase program, allowing the company to buy back up to 2% of its shares; institutional investors own 75.75% of the stock.

Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of "Hold" from the twenty-two ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $469.82.

ROK has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Zacks Research lowered shares of Rockwell Automation from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $525.00 to $545.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $510.00 to $485.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 30th. Evercore set a $485.00 price objective on Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $514.00 price target on Rockwell Automation in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th.

Rockwell Automation Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of ROK opened at $450.29 on Wednesday. Rockwell Automation has a fifty-two week low of $332.71 and a fifty-two week high of $497.36. The company has a market capitalization of $50.00 billion, a PE ratio of 42.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.51. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $436.80 and a two-hundred day moving average of $435.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.08.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $3.49 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.38 by $0.11. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 39.83% and a net margin of 13.39%.The business had revenue of $2.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.24 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.82 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.000-13.300 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation will post 13.25 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, June 9th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the industrial products company to purchase up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In related news, CFO Christian E. Rothe sold 590 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $434.30, for a total transaction of $256,237.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 10,429 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,529,314.70. The trade was a 5.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible 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, VP Isaac Woods sold 154 shares of Rockwell Automation 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 sale, the vice president owned 1,858 shares in the company, valued at $803,807.96. This represents a 7.65% 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. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 2,711 shares of company stock worth $1,164,880. Insiders own 0.76% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Rockwell Automation

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Polaris Financial Partners purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation in the third quarter valued at about $42,000. CX Institutional raised its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 16.1% in the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,024 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $446,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in Rockwell Automation by 3.4% during the third quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,206 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $525,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Montecito Bank & Trust raised its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. Montecito Bank & Trust now owns 1,287 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $560,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 10.5% during the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,968 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,964,000 after purchasing an additional 376 shares during the period. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.