Barclays Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) Stock Price

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) had its price target lowered by equities research analysts at Barclays from $280.00 to $260.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “equal weight” rating on the industrial products company’s stock. Barclays‘s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 13.77% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on ROK. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Loop Capital boosted their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $345.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Stephens raised Rockwell Automation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $275.00 to $350.00 in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $300.63.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

ROK traded down $13.89 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $228.54. 300,706 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 912,722. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $269.77 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $277.06. Rockwell Automation has a 52-week low of $215.00 and a 52-week high of $308.70. The company has a market capitalization of $25.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.49, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.22. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.38% and a return on equity of 30.17%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Tessa M. Myers sold 1,231 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.43, for a total value of $351,364.33. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 3,650 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,041,819.50. This trade represents a 25.22 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 850 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.21, for a total value of $255,178.50. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,633 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $490,242.93. The trade was a 34.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 4,645 shares of company stock worth $1,321,798 in the last quarter. 0.68% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Rockwell Automation

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. West Oak Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 455.6% in the 4th quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Parvin Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. 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.