The Goldman Sachs Group Cuts Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) Price Target to $485.00

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) had its price target reduced by The Goldman Sachs Group from $510.00 to $485.00 in a research note published on Wednesday morning. The Goldman Sachs Group currently has a neutral rating on the industrial products company’s stock.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on ROK. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $501.00 to $514.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $426.00 target price for the company. Zacks Research downgraded Rockwell Automation from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Robert W. Baird set a $514.00 price target on Rockwell Automation in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Rockwell Automation from $525.00 to $545.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $469.82.

Rockwell Automation Stock Up 2.7%

Shares of NYSE:ROK opened at $454.50 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $437.45 and its 200-day moving average is $433.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.08. Rockwell Automation has a 52 week low of $332.71 and a 52 week high of $497.36. The company has a market capitalization of $50.47 billion, a PE ratio of 42.60, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.51.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $3.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.38 by $0.11. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 13.39% and a return on equity of 39.83%. The business had revenue of $2.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.24 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.82 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.000-13.300 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Rockwell Automation will post 13.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In related news, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 467 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $426.96, for a total value of $199,390.32. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 1,267 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $540,958.32. This trade represents a 26.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Patricia A. Watson sold 1,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $431.43, for a total transaction of $474,573.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 6,385 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,754,680.55. This trade represents a 14.70% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 2,711 shares of company stock valued at $1,164,880 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.76% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Flputnam Investment Management Co. acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the second quarter valued at $1,001,000. Mandatum Life Insurance Co Ltd boosted its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 26.9% in the first quarter. Mandatum Life Insurance Co Ltd now owns 22,200 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $7,967,000 after acquiring an additional 4,700 shares during the last quarter. Lombard Odier Asset Management Europe Ltd increased its position in Rockwell Automation by 54.2% in the first quarter. Lombard Odier Asset Management Europe Ltd now owns 36,211 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $12,995,000 after purchasing an additional 12,727 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd increased its position in Rockwell Automation by 145.8% in the fourth quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 26,123 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $10,164,000 after purchasing an additional 15,496 shares during the period. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 19.6% during the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 274,512 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $106,965,000 after purchasing an additional 44,944 shares during the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Rockwell Automation Company Profile

Rockwell Automation, Inc is a global provider of industrial automation and digital transformation technologies. The company helps manufacturers and other industrial organizations improve productivity, quality, safety, and operational efficiency by connecting industrial equipment, control systems, software, and data.

Its offerings include programmable logic controllers, industrial computers, motor control and drives, sensors, safety systems, human-machine interfaces, and other control and electrical products.