Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) Reaches New 52-Week High After Analyst Upgrade

Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday after JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on the stock from $357.00 to $400.00. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has a neutral rating on the stock. Rockwell Automation traded as high as $398.20 and last traded at $396.5950, with a volume of 207731 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $392.08.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on ROK. Barclays raised their price target on Rockwell Automation from $370.00 to $417.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, September 21st. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $375.00 target price (up from $350.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Finally, Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $391.00 price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $360.78.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In related news, VP Isaac Woods sold 250 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $350.00, for a total transaction of $87,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 1,662 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $581,700. This represents a 13.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director James P. Keane sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.06, for a total value of $1,068,180.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 9,192 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,272,903.52. This trade represents a 24.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 92,075 shares of company stock valued at $34,820,361. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rockwell Automation

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation in the 2nd quarter valued at $368,575,000. Holocene Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 128.9% in the 2nd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 866,992 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $287,989,000 after buying an additional 488,262 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Rockwell Automation by 122.3% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 819,708 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $286,522,000 after acquiring an additional 451,038 shares during the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 720.8% in the 2nd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 399,309 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $132,638,000 after buying an additional 350,662 shares during the period. Finally, Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board lifted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 7,730.3% in the 2nd quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 354,792 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $117,851,000 after acquiring an additional 350,261 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Trading Up 0.9%

The firm has a market cap of $44.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.38, a P/E/G ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $351.76 and its 200 day simple moving average is $334.73.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The industrial products company reported $3.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.94 by $0.40. The business had revenue of $2.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.19 billion. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 12.03% and a return on equity of 30.14%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.47 EPS. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.200-12.200 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 17th will be given a dividend of $1.38 per share. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. This is a boost from Rockwell Automation’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.31. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 17th. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is 72.06%.

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.