Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) Raised to Hold at Sanford C. Bernstein

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) was upgraded by analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on ROK. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $360.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $400.00 to $480.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and set a $380.00 target price (down from $490.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $448.00 to $487.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $451.75.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

ROK opened at $440.24 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. Rockwell Automation has a 52-week low of $305.44 and a 52-week high of $468.11. The company has a 50 day moving average of $424.76 and a two-hundred day moving average of $406.00. The company has a market cap of $48.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 1.57.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 12.36% and a return on equity of 37.54%. The company had revenue of $2.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.16 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.45 earnings per share. Rockwell Automation’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.500-13.100 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Rockwell Automation will post 13.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, June 9th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the industrial products company to repurchase up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In other news, SVP Christopher Nardecchia sold 2,538 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $446.43, for a total transaction of $1,133,039.34. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 14,232 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,353,591.76. This represents a 15.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Matthew W. Fordenwalt sold 377 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $460.51, for a total transaction of $173,612.27. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 4,437 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,043,282.87. This represents a 7.83% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 12,308 shares of company stock valued at $5,339,812 in the last ninety days. 0.76% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rockwell Automation

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 97.5% during the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 79 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the first quarter worth about $31,000. First Horizon Corp bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

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.