Zacks Research Downgrades Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) to Hold

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) was downgraded by stock analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $439.00 to $466.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on Rockwell Automation in a research note on Monday, December 15th. They set an “in-line” rating and a $440.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $380.00 to $410.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $435.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Rockwell Automation from $450.00 to $470.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $406.44.

Rockwell Automation Trading Down 0.0%

NYSE:ROK traded down $0.08 on Monday, hitting $416.80. The stock had a trading volume of 59,823 shares, compared to its average volume of 612,600. Rockwell Automation has a 1-year low of $215.00 and a 1-year high of $420.18. The stock has a market cap of $46.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.42, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $393.74 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $363.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last posted its earnings results 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. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 32.69% and a net margin of 10.42%.The company had revenue of $4.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.47 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.200-12.200 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Rockwell Automation will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Rebecca W. House sold 1,698 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $402.06, for a total value of $682,697.88. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 12,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,905,132. The trade was a 12.22% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Blake D. Moret sold 61,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $391.56, for a total value of $24,159,252.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 83,873 shares in the company, valued at $32,841,311.88. This represents a 42.38% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 88,053 shares of company stock valued at $34,718,919 over the last ninety days. 0.76% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rockwell Automation

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ROK. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. raised its position in Rockwell Automation by 468.8% in the 3rd quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 91 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Rexford Capital Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the second quarter worth about $33,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. raised its stake in Rockwell Automation by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Rockwell Automation by 48.7% during the 2nd quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 116 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. Finally, Legend Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Rockwell Automation

Rockwell Automation is a global industrial automation and digital transformation company headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The firm designs, manufactures and supports control systems, industrial control hardware and software, and related services that help manufacturers and industrial operators automate processes, improve productivity and enable data-driven decision making. Rockwell traces its heritage to the Allen-Bradley and Rockwell automation businesses and positions itself as a provider of integrated automation solutions across discrete and process industries.

The company’s product portfolio includes programmable logic controllers (PLCs), human-machine interfaces (HMIs), variable frequency drives, sensors, safety components and other industrial control hardware, often marketed under the Allen-Bradley brand.