Van ECK Associates Corp Has $13.49 Million Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK

Van ECK Associates Corp lessened its stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 10.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 27,244 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 3,271 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $13,488,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ROK. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan raised its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 63.4% in the 2nd quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan now owns 67,367 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $33,352,000 after acquiring an additional 26,127 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas grew its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 15.3% during the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas now owns 8,595 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $4,190,000 after purchasing an additional 1,143 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 16.3% during the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 472,888 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $233,964,000 after purchasing an additional 66,302 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 6.4% during the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,020 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,495,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares during the period. Finally, Lombard Odier Asset Management Europe Ltd raised its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 20.4% in the second quarter. Lombard Odier Asset Management Europe Ltd now owns 43,582 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $21,577,000 after purchasing an additional 7,371 shares in the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ROK opened at $424.01 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $457.25 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $427.51. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $332.71 and a fifty-two week high of $497.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.54.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $3.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.38 by $0.11. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 39.83% and a net margin of 13.39%.The company had revenue of $2.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.24 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.82 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.000-13.300 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 13.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, June 9th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the industrial products company to buy up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In other news, CFO Christian E. Rothe sold 590 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $434.30, for a total value of $256,237.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 10,429 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,529,314.70. The trade was a 5.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, Director Patricia A. Watson sold 1,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $431.43, for a total value of $474,573.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 6,385 shares in the company, valued at $2,754,680.55. The trade was a 14.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 2,067 shares of company stock worth $904,422 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.76% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on ROK shares. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. HSBC raised their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $445.00 to $490.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $360.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $525.00 price target on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $468.19.

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.