Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Citigroup Analyst Says

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) had its price objective upped by equities researchers at Citigroup from $345.00 to $350.00 in a report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the industrial products company’s stock. Citigroup’s price objective points to a potential upside of 15.89% from the company’s current price.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on Rockwell Automation in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $345.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $290.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $313.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on Rockwell Automation from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $308.05.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Shares of ROK opened at $302.01 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Rockwell Automation has a 12 month low of $242.81 and a 12 month high of $308.70. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $286.07 and a 200 day simple moving average of $275.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.47, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.35.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 30.42% and a net margin of 11.53%. Research analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation will post 9.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Rockwell Automation news, VP John M. Miller sold 467 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.07, for a total transaction of $132,660.69. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 4,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,363,536. This represents a 8.87 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Scott Genereux sold 278 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $302.04, for a total transaction of $83,967.12. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 3,184 shares in the company, valued at approximately $961,695.36. This represents a 8.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 35,857 shares of company stock valued at $10,678,037 over the last 90 days. 0.68% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 96 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. West Oak Capital LLC boosted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 455.6% during the 4th quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.