Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK Shares Sold by Rockland Trust Co.

Rockland Trust Co. decreased its stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 19.5% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 17,926 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 4,342 shares during the quarter. Rockland Trust Co.’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $8,875,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Castle Rock Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 2.2% in the second quarter. Castle Rock Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,038 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $501,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the period. Richards Merrill & Peterson Inc. increased its stake in Rockwell Automation by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. Richards Merrill & Peterson Inc. now owns 1,358 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $487,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the period. Cidel Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Rockwell Automation by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. now owns 574 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $206,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the period. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 3,719 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,544,000 after buying an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. raised its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 1,412 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $549,000 after buying an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Rockwell Automation Stock Down 0.2%

ROK stock opened at $440.95 on Friday. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $328.70 and a 12 month high of $497.36. The firm has a market cap of $48.97 billion, a PE ratio of 41.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 1.54. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $464.99 and a 200 day simple moving average of $425.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.76.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $3.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.38 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $2.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.24 billion. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 13.39% and a return on equity of 39.83%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.82 earnings per share. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.000-13.300 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 13.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Tuesday, June 9th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the industrial products company to purchase up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be paid a dividend of $1.38 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 51.73%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Matthew W. Fordenwalt sold 377 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $460.51, for a total transaction of $173,612.27. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 4,437 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,043,282.87. The trade was a 7.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, VP John M. Miller sold 1,054 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $426.02, for a total value of $449,025.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 5,615 shares in the company, valued at $2,392,102.30. This represents a 15.80% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 1,649 shares of company stock worth $722,119 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.76% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $525.00 target price on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Robert W. Baird set a $514.00 price target on Rockwell Automation in a research note on Wednesday. BNP Paribas Exane lifted their price target on Rockwell Automation from $495.00 to $515.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $448.00 to $487.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $468.05.

About Rockwell Automation

Rockwell Automation is a global industrial automation and digital transformation company headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The firm designs, manufactures and supports control systems, industrial control hardware and software, and related services that help manufacturers and industrial operators automate processes, improve productivity and enable data-driven decision making. Rockwell traces its heritage to the Allen-Bradley and Rockwell automation businesses and positions itself as a provider of integrated automation solutions across discrete and process industries.

The company’s product portfolio includes programmable logic controllers (PLCs), human-machine interfaces (HMIs), variable frequency drives, sensors, safety components and other industrial control hardware, often marketed under the Allen-Bradley brand.