Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) Price Target Raised to $315.00 at Robert W. Baird

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) had its target price raised by equities research analysts at Robert W. Baird from $305.00 to $315.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “outperform” rating on the industrial products company’s stock. Robert W. Baird’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 4.26% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the company. Stephens raised Rockwell Automation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $275.00 to $350.00 in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Rockwell Automation from $320.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Barclays decreased their price target on Rockwell Automation from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Mizuho lifted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, BNP Paribas began coverage on Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $345.00 target price on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $306.63.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

Shares of Rockwell Automation stock opened at $302.14 on Tuesday. Rockwell Automation has a one year low of $242.81 and a one year high of $308.70. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $285.72 and its 200 day moving average is $275.06. The stock has a market cap of $34.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.08.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.22. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.42% and a net margin of 11.53%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation will post 9.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP John M. Miller sold 467 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.07, for a total value of $132,660.69. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,800 shares in the company, valued at $1,363,536. This trade represents a 8.87 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Scott Genereux sold 278 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $302.04, for a total value of $83,967.12. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 3,184 shares in the company, valued at $961,695.36. This represents a 8.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 35,857 shares of company stock worth $10,678,037. Insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Rockwell Automation

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ROK. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 48,567 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $13,880,000 after acquiring an additional 1,452 shares during the period. WIM INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Ltd lifted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 65.1% in the 4th quarter. WIM INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Ltd now owns 39,950 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $11,417,000 after buying an additional 15,750 shares in the last quarter. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter valued at about $178,000. Xponance Inc. lifted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 17,405 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $4,974,000 after buying an additional 374 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,360,000. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Rockwell Automation Company Profile

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.