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

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) had its price target upped by analysts at Robert W. Baird from $305.00 to $315.00 in a research report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “outperform” rating on the industrial products company’s stock. Robert W. Baird’s price target indicates a potential upside of 4.26% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other analysts have also commented on ROK. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $345.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $240.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, HSBC upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $355.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $306.63.

Rockwell Automation Trading Up 12.6 %

ROK opened at $302.14 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $285.72 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $275.06. Rockwell Automation has a 1-year low of $242.81 and a 1-year high of $308.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.35.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.22. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.53% and a return on equity of 30.42%. Analysts expect that Rockwell Automation will post 9.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Scott Genereux sold 278 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $302.04, for a total value of $83,967.12. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 3,184 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $961,695.36. The trade was a 8.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Isaac Woods sold 895 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.72, for a total transaction of $245,874.40. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,198 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $329,114.56. This trade represents a 42.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 35,857 shares of company stock worth $10,678,037. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Rockwell Automation

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ROK. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt lifted its position in Rockwell Automation by 238.8% in the third quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 864 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $232,000 after acquiring an additional 609 shares during the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the third quarter valued at $214,000. Fiduciary Alliance LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the third quarter valued at about $234,000. Creative Planning raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 3.2% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 25,927 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $6,960,000 after buying an additional 807 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cabot Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 1.2% in the third quarter. Cabot Wealth Management Inc. now owns 45,809 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $12,298,000 after buying an additional 555 shares during the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.