Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK Stock Sold by VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al cut its stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 80.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,440 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 9,920 shares during the period. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $1,062,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of ROK. Virtus Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation in the first quarter valued at about $31,000. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation in the third quarter valued at about $40,000. Polaris Financial Partners acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation in the third quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, Ascentis Independent Advisors bought a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the first quarter worth about $43,000. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Rockwell Automation Trading Down 14.5%

Shares of NYSE ROK opened at $379.54 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.08. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $347.53 and a 52-week high of $497.36. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $430.52 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $427.46. The stock has a market cap of $42.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.51.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The industrial products company reported $3.88 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.69 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $2.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.41 billion. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 13.39% and a return on equity of 39.83%. Rockwell Automation’s revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.34 earnings per share. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.500-15.500 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 13.26 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Monday, November 16th will be given a dividend of $1.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 16th. This represents a $5.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. This is an increase from Rockwell Automation’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.38. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is 54.36%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Rockwell Automation news, CFO Christian Rothe sold 590 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $434.30, for a total value of $256,237.00. Following the sale, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a 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 Watson sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $431.43, for a total value of $474,573.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 6,385 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,754,680.55. The trade was a 14.70% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 2,711 shares of company stock valued at $1,164,880 in the last quarter. 0.76% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Rockwell Automation

Here are the key news stories impacting Rockwell Automation this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Adjusted Q4 EPS of $3.88 beat the consensus estimate of $3.69 and rose from $3.34 a year earlier. Margin gains and solid performance in some segments supported profit growth. Rockwell Automation Q4 Earnings Beat Estimates on Margin Gains
• Neutral Sentiment: For FY2027, Rockwell forecast EPS of $14.50–$15.50 versus a $14.92 consensus, and revenue of $9.4–$9.7 billion versus $9.6 billion expected. The ranges largely bracket estimates, though the revenue midpoint is slightly below consensus. Rockwell Automation Issues Fiscal 2027 Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 revenue of $2.33 billion missed the $2.41 billion analyst estimate and increased only 0.7% year over year. The sales shortfall, despite the EPS beat, likely weighed on shares and raised questions about the pace of demand growth. Rockwell Automation Issues Fiscal 2027 Outlook

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on ROK. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Monday, October 26th. Robert W. Baird set a $514.00 price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Evercore set a $485.00 price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Morgan Stanley set a $520.00 target price on Rockwell Automation in a research note on Friday, October 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Rockwell Automation in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $426.00 target price for the company. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $468.00.

Rockwell Automation Company Profile

Rockwell Automation, Inc (NYSE: ROK) is a global provider of industrial automation and digital transformation technologies. The company helps manufacturers and industrial organizations improve productivity, safety, quality and operational efficiency through connected hardware, software and services.

Its product portfolio includes industrial control systems, programmable logic controllers, motor control and sensing equipment, industrial computers, safety products, networking technologies and power-control solutions.