Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts remain upbeat on Rockwell Automation: The stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from 21 brokerages, with an average 1-year price target of $438.70. Recent analyst actions were mixed, but several firms maintained or raised bullish ratings and targets.
• Strong quarterly results topped expectations: Rockwell reported $3.30 EPS versus the $2.88 consensus estimate, and revenue of $2.24 billion beat forecasts. Sales rose 11.9% year over year, and the company raised its FY2026 guidance to 12.5–13.1 EPS.
• The company also announced a dividend and saw insider selling: Rockwell declared a quarterly dividend of $1.38 per share, or $5.52 annualized, yielding about 1.2%. Meanwhile, several insiders sold shares in recent weeks, though the sales were made under pre-arranged trading plans.

Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-one brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, nine have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $438.70.

Several research analysts have weighed in on ROK shares. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Rockwell Automation from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and set a $525.00 price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday. Oppenheimer downgraded Rockwell Automation from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on Rockwell Automation from $435.00 to $410.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on Rockwell Automation from $400.00 to $480.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday.

Rockwell Automation Trading Up 1.0%

ROK stock opened at $453.17 on Friday. Rockwell Automation has a one year low of $290.14 and a one year high of $463.48. The stock has a market cap of $50.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.56. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $386.73 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $392.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 0.80.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The industrial products company reported $3.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.88 by $0.42. The company had revenue of $2.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.16 billion. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 12.36% and a return on equity of 37.54%. The company's revenue was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.45 earnings per share. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.500-13.100 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation will post 13 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.38 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 18th. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 57.38%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related 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 transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 14,232 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,353,591.76. This represents a 15.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 4,024 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $451.97, for a total transaction of $1,818,727.28. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 134 shares in the company, valued at approximately $60,563.98. This represents a 96.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 59,087 shares of company stock valued at $24,296,483 in the last 90 days. 0.76% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Rockwell Automation

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ROK. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter valued at $281,000. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 75.9% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 8,139 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,059,000 after acquiring an additional 3,513 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 142.7% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 7,305 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,887,000 after purchasing an additional 4,295 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 233.6% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,878 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $484,000 after purchasing an additional 1,315 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jump Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the second quarter worth $868,000. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Rockwell Automation News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Rockwell’s earnings beat and raised FY2026 guidance continue to drive investor optimism about growth and margins. Why Rockwell Automation (ROK) Is Up After Raising 2026 Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts have been lifting price targets following the strong quarter, which supports the stock’s momentum. Analysts Raise Their Forecasts Following Upbeat Q2 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary is framing Rockwell as a beneficiary of AI, data-center, and automation spending, which can strengthen the longer-term growth story. Rockwell Automation: Benefiting From The AI Data Center Surge
• Neutral Sentiment: Several insiders sold shares under pre-arranged trading plans, which is worth watching but does not necessarily signal a fundamental change. Executive Insider Sale Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Rockwell disclosed cyber and third-party data-privacy risks tied to its global IT and cloud reliance, a longer-term risk that could weigh on valuation if concerns build. New Cyber / Data Privacy Risk Disclosure

About Rockwell Automation

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.

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