The Goldman Sachs Group Raises Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) Price Target to $290.00

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) had its price target upped by analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group from $257.00 to $290.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “sell” rating on the industrial products company’s stock. The Goldman Sachs Group’s price target points to a potential downside of 3.98% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on ROK. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Oppenheimer raised their price target on Rockwell Automation from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Rockwell Automation from $315.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $290.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $285.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $308.05.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

ROK stock opened at $302.01 on Tuesday. Rockwell Automation has a one year low of $242.81 and a one year high of $308.70. The firm has a market cap of $34.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.47, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.08. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $286.07 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $275.47.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.22. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 11.53% and a return on equity of 30.42%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation will post 9.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In other news, VP Isaac Woods sold 895 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.72, for a total transaction of $245,874.40. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,198 shares in the company, valued at $329,114.56. This trade represents a 42.76 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP John M. Miller sold 467 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.07, for a total value of $132,660.69. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,363,536. The trade was a 8.87 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 35,857 shares of company stock valued at $10,678,037. 0.68% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Rockwell Automation

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC grew its stake in Rockwell Automation by 33.2% in the 3rd quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 1,377 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $370,000 after acquiring an additional 343 shares during the period. MCF Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 95.8% during the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 2,332 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $667,000 after purchasing an additional 1,141 shares in the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 99.1% in the fourth quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,187 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,482,000 after purchasing an additional 2,582 shares during the period. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the third quarter worth about $912,000. Finally, Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 34,209 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $9,184,000 after purchasing an additional 1,928 shares during the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.