Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) Hits New 52-Week Low - Should You Sell?

Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week low on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $240.13 and last traded at $247.40, with a volume of 1018696 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $247.65.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on ROK shares. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Rockwell Automation from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Loop Capital upped their price target on Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $248.00 to $201.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $280.00 to $260.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Stephens upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their target price for the company from $275.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $297.11.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average price of $251.80 and a 200-day moving average price of $273.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.39 billion, a PE ratio of 31.28, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.72.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.22. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.17% and a net margin of 11.38%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be issued a dividend of $1.31 per share. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.09%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio is 65.26%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In related news, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 1,231 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.43, for a total value of $351,364.33. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 3,650 shares in the company, valued at $1,041,819.50. This trade represents a 25.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 850 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.21, for a total value of $255,178.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 1,633 shares of the company's stock, valued at $490,242.93. This represents a 34.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 3,750 shares of company stock valued at $1,075,923 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rockwell Automation

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of ROK. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,876,530 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $3,965,774,000 after purchasing an additional 81,079 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 6.5% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 7,115,280 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,033,476,000 after purchasing an additional 432,934 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,734,430 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $779,426,000 after purchasing an additional 51,228 shares during the period. Amundi boosted its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 26.2% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 2,073,594 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $580,095,000 after acquiring an additional 430,498 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Rockwell Automation by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,570,036 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $448,701,000 after buying an additional 13,744 shares during the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Rockwell Automation

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.