Rockwell Automation (ROK) Q1 Earnings: What's in Store?

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Rockwell Automation, Inc. (ROK - Free Report) is scheduled to report first-quarter fiscal 2017 results on Jan 25, before the opening bell. In the last reported quarter, Rockwell Automation’s both top line and bottom line declined year over year. Let’s see how things are shaping up prior to the first quarter announcement.

Rockwell Automation's shares have outperformed the Zacks categorized Industrial Automation/Robotics sub industry. The company’s share price has surged 55.5% in the last one year, while the subindustry witnessed a gain of 52.4% in the same timeframe.

Earnings Whispers

Our proven model does not conclusively show that Rockwell Automation will be able to pull a surprise this quarter. That is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for an earnings beat. That is not the case here as you will see below.

Zacks ESP: Rockwell Automation’s Earnings ESP stands at -2.76%. This is because the company’s Most Accurate estimate is $1.41, while the Zacks Consensus Estimate is pegged higher at $1.45. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Zacks Rank: Rockwell Automation currently carries a Zacks Rank #3. Note that stocks with Zacks Rank #1, 2 or 3 have a significantly higher chance of beating earnings estimates. Conversely, Sell-rated stocks (Zacks Rank #4 or 5) should never be considered going into an earnings announcement.

The combination of Rockwell Automation’s Zacks Rank #3 combined with a negative Earnings ESP makes an earnings beat unlikely this quarter.

Surprise History

The company has an impressive earnings surprise history given that it has beaten the Zacks Consensus Estimate in the past four quarters. In the last reported quarter, the company posted a positive earnings surprise of 2.01% and has delivered a positive earnings surprise of 5.79% on an average over the last four quarters.

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