Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) Hits New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $413.04 and last traded at $410.0850, with a volume of 932398 shares. The stock had previously closed at $400.61.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on ROK. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $450.00 to $470.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Barclays raised their target price on Rockwell Automation from $417.00 to $435.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Rockwell Automation from $439.00 to $466.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $392.00 to $402.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $275.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $390.33.

Rockwell Automation Stock Up 2.4%

The firm has a 50-day moving average of $370.46 and a two-hundred day moving average of $349.75. The firm has a market cap of $46.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.54, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The industrial products company reported $3.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.94 by $0.40. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 32.69% and a net margin of 10.42%.The firm had revenue of $4.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.47 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.200-12.200 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Monday, November 17th were paid a dividend of $1.38 per share. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 17th. This is an increase from Rockwell Automation’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.31. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is currently 72.06%.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 225 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $402.13, for a total value of $90,479.25. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 2,034 shares in the company, valued at $817,932.42. This trade represents a 9.96% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Matthew W. Fordenwalt sold 146 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $402.48, for a total transaction of $58,762.08. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 4,437 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,785,803.76. The trade was a 3.19% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 87,253 shares of company stock worth $34,405,319. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Rockwell Automation

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ROK. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the second quarter valued at about $368,575,000. Holocene Advisors LP lifted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 128.9% during the second quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 866,992 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $287,989,000 after purchasing an additional 488,262 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings 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 valued at $286,522,000 after purchasing an additional 451,038 shares in the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. grew its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 350,662 shares during the period. Finally, Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board grew its stake 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 valued at $117,851,000 after purchasing an additional 350,261 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

About Rockwell Automation

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.