Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) Sets New 12-Month High - Here's What Happened

Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $359.16 and last traded at $354.59, with a volume of 681638 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $356.49.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ROK has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating and issued a $392.00 price objective (up from $371.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Bank of America upgraded Rockwell Automation from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $360.00 to $410.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Loop Capital upped their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $280.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $304.00 to $371.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, TD Cowen raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $275.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, May 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $341.11.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $324.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $287.33. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The company has a market cap of $40.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.82, a P/E/G ratio of 3.63 and a beta of 1.38.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.09 by $0.36. The company had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.97 billion. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.38% and a return on equity of 30.16%. Rockwell Automation's revenue for the quarter was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.50 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be given a dividend of $1.31 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 18th. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.47%. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.99%.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 363 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction on Monday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $326.32, for a total transaction of $118,454.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 4,063 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,325,838.16. This trade represents a 8.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Christopher Nardecchia sold 551 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $326.31, for a total value of $179,796.81. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 12,711 shares in the company, valued at $4,147,726.41. The trade was a 4.15% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 9,757 shares of company stock valued at $3,138,220 in the last ninety days. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Citizens National Bank Trust Department purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Rockwell Automation during the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. IMA Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. Cooksen Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Parvin Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company's stock.

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.

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