Here's a comparative analysis between ABB and Rockwell Automation for picking up the best automation stock

For decades, the concept of robotics and automation represented the future of manufacturing. But it wasn't until the advancement of AI and other related technologies that automation stocks began to move beyond the goals and toward valuation gains based on substantive economic and processing efficiencies. In this article, we have compared ABB and Rockwell Automation to help you with the best automation stock to invest in.

ABB's Process Automation segment provides process and discrete control technologies, advanced process control software and manufacturing execution systems, sensing, measurement, and analytical instrumentation, marine propulsion systems, and large turbochargers. In addition, this segment offers remote monitoring, preventive maintenance, asset performance management, emission monitoring, and cybersecurity services. The current automation stock market cap of the company is US$30.23, a 1.92% increase from the previous close.

Rockwell Automation serves discrete end markets, including automotive, semiconductor, warehousing and logistics, and other discrete markets, as well as general industries comprising printing and publishing, marine, glass, fiber and textiles, airports, and aerospace; hybrid end markets, such as food and beverage, life sciences, household, and personal care, and tire, as well as eco-industrial, including water/wastewater, waste management, mass transit, and renewable energy; and process end markets comprising oil and gas, mining, metals, chemicals, pulp and paper, and others. The current automation stock market cap of the company is US$263.35, a 2.55% increase from the previous close.

ABB manufactures and sells electrification, industrial automation, and robotics and motion products. In October 2020, ABB announced the acquisition of Codian Robotics B.V., which offers delta robots, thereby expanding its portfolio of industrial robots Shares of this Zacks Rank #2 company have risen 33.4% year to date. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings increased 7.1% over the past 60 days. The company's expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 38.8%.

ROK provides industrial automation and digital transformation solutions. On Jun 25, 2021, the company announced that it has agreed to acquire Plex Systems, which provides a cloud-native smart manufacturing platform operating at scale, for US$2.22 billion in cash. Shares of Rockwell Automation have risen 25.1% year to date. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings increased 0.8% over the past 60 days. The Zacks Rank #3 company's expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 20.8%.