Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) Given New $280.00 Price Target at Barclays

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) had its target price lowered by Barclays from $285.00 to $280.00 in a research report report published on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an equal weight rating on the industrial products company’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $257.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Loop Capital increased their target price on Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. KeyCorp upgraded Rockwell Automation from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $345.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, BNP Paribas cut shares of Rockwell Automation from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $307.42.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Shares of Rockwell Automation stock opened at $258.22 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $278.93 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $278.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $29.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.16, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. Rockwell Automation has a 12 month low of $242.81 and a 12 month high of $308.70.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.22. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.38% and a return on equity of 30.17%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a dividend of $1.31 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.03%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.26%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Isaac Woods sold 895 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.72, for a total value of $245,874.40. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 1,198 shares in the company, valued at approximately $329,114.56. This trade represents a 42.76 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 1,231 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.43, for a total transaction of $351,364.33. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 3,650 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,041,819.50. The trade was a 25.22 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 4,352 shares of company stock worth $1,246,298. Insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Rockwell Automation

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ROK. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. increased its position in Rockwell Automation by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 1,928 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $518,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 2.3% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 30,626 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $8,222,000 after purchasing an additional 676 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 70.7% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 601 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $161,000 after buying an additional 249 shares during the period. Summit Trail Advisors LLC raised its stake in Rockwell Automation by 6.4% in the third quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 1,725 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $463,000 after buying an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 8.2% during the third quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 21,190 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,688,000 after buying an additional 1,597 shares during the period. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.