Swedbank AB Reduces Stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK

Swedbank AB cut its stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 3.2% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 50,070 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,665 shares during the period. Swedbank AB’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $17,969,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC increased its position in Rockwell Automation by 97.5% during the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 79 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Corp purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, TD Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In other news, SVP Matthew W. Fordenwalt sold 377 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $460.51, for a total value of $173,612.27. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 4,437 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,043,282.87. This trade represents a 7.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, VP Scott Genereux sold 550 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $447.73, for a total transaction of $246,251.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 2,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,237,525.72. This trade represents a 16.60% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders have sold 10,561 shares of company stock valued at $4,669,886. Corporate insiders own 0.76% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE ROK opened at $467.45 on Friday. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $305.44 and a twelve month high of $497.36. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $457.52 and a 200-day simple moving average of $416.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.01 billion, a PE ratio of 48.59, a PEG ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 1.54.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The industrial products company reported $3.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.88 by $0.42. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 37.54% and a net margin of 12.36%.The firm had revenue of $2.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.16 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.45 EPS. Rockwell Automation’s revenue was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.500-13.100 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 13.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, June 9th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the industrial products company to reacquire up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be paid a dividend of $1.38 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 17th. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is 57.38%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on ROK. HSBC increased their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $445.00 to $490.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Argus upped their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $465.00 to $530.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on Rockwell Automation in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $501.00 price objective for the company. Barclays raised their target price on Rockwell Automation from $400.00 to $480.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $470.00 to $527.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $466.71.

Rockwell Automation Profile

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.