Zacks Research Issues Negative Outlook for ROK Earnings

Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) – Zacks Research decreased their Q4 2027 EPS estimates for shares of Rockwell Automation in a report issued on Tuesday, June 23rd. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the industrial products company will earn $3.87 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $3.91. The consensus estimate for Rockwell Automation’s current full-year earnings is $13.00 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Rockwell Automation’s Q2 2028 earnings at $3.84 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $16.16 EPS.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on Rockwell Automation in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $501.00 price objective for the company. Mizuho set a $445.00 target price on Rockwell Automation in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Citigroup raised their target price on Rockwell Automation from $466.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. KeyCorp lifted their price target on Rockwell Automation from $470.00 to $510.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price target on Rockwell Automation from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $454.05.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

NYSE:ROK opened at $457.25 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $441.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $410.74. The firm has a market cap of $50.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.53, a PEG ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 1.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 1.09. Rockwell Automation has a one year low of $305.44 and a one year high of $479.59.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The industrial products company reported $3.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.88 by $0.42. The firm had revenue of $2.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.16 billion. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 12.36% and a return on equity of 37.54%. The firm’s revenue was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.45 earnings per share. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.500-13.100 EPS.

Institutional Trading of Rockwell Automation

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth $281,000. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 75.9% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 8,139 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,059,000 after purchasing an additional 3,513 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 142.7% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 7,305 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,887,000 after purchasing an additional 4,295 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 233.6% during the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,878 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $484,000 after purchasing an additional 1,315 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jump Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the second quarter worth about $868,000. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In other news, SVP Christopher Nardecchia sold 2,538 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $446.43, for a total transaction of $1,133,039.34. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 14,232 shares in the company, valued at $6,353,591.76. This trade represents a 15.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 4,024 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $451.97, for a total value of $1,818,727.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 134 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $60,563.98. This represents a 96.78% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 12,308 shares of company stock worth $5,339,812. 0.76% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be given a $1.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 17th. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is 57.38%.

Rockwell Automation declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, June 9th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the industrial products company to reacquire up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Rockwell Automation Company Profile

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.