Groupe la Francaise Sells 5,985 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK

Groupe la Francaise trimmed its position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 27.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,750 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 5,985 shares during the period. Groupe la Francaise’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $7,800,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter worth $281,000. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in Rockwell Automation by 75.9% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 8,139 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,059,000 after buying an additional 3,513 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in Rockwell Automation by 142.7% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 7,305 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,887,000 after buying an additional 4,295 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Rockwell Automation by 233.6% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,878 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $484,000 after buying an additional 1,315 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jump Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the second quarter valued at about $868,000. 75.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Rockwell Automation news, Director Patricia A. Watson sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $431.43, for a total transaction of $474,573.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 6,385 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,754,680.55. This trade represents a 14.70% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Christian E. Rothe sold 590 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 10,429 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,529,314.70. This trade represents a 5.35% 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. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold 2,557 shares of company stock valued at $1,098,256 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.76% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on ROK. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $555.00 to $536.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Evercore set a $485.00 target price on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Rockwell Automation from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $469.14.

Key Rockwell Automation News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised most forward EPS estimates. Zacks Research increased its forecasts for Q4 2026, Q2-Q4 2027, FY2026, FY2027, Q3 2028 and FY2028. The firm now expects $13.17 EPS for FY2026, $14.39 for FY2027 and $16.78 for FY2028, suggesting improving expectations for Rockwell Automation’s longer-term earnings growth.
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley maintained a Buy rating. The continued bullish view from a major brokerage provides supportive sentiment for ROK, although the broader analyst consensus remains Hold. Morgan Stanley Remains a Buy on Rockwell Automation
• Positive Sentiment: Recent operating results and capital returns remain supportive. Rockwell’s latest quarter exceeded EPS and revenue expectations, with revenue up 7.9% year over year. The company also has authorization for up to $1 billion in share repurchases and pays a quarterly dividend, which may enhance shareholder returns.
• Neutral Sentiment: The investment case is constructive but not uniformly bullish. Zacks maintained a Hold rating, and the consensus target of approximately $469.14 implies potential upside but also reflects caution at ROK’s current valuation. A recent comparison of Rockwell with other Internet of Things companies may influence sector sentiment but provides no clear company-specific catalyst. Q2 earnings highlights: Rockwell Automation vs. Internet of Things stocks
• Negative Sentiment: One near-term EPS estimate was trimmed. Zacks lowered its Q1 2027 forecast to $2.93 from $2.97, partially offsetting the broader upward revisions.
• Negative Sentiment: An executive sold shares. SVP Matheus Bulho sold 400 shares for about $168,056 after selling 467 shares earlier. Because the transactions were conducted under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, they are a limited bearish signal. Rockwell Automation insider share sale

Rockwell Automation Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:ROK opened at $434.18 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $332.71 and a 52-week high of $497.36. The stock has a market cap of $48.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.69, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.52. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $453.91 and a 200-day moving average price of $428.42.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $3.49 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 firm had revenue of $2.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.24 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.82 earnings per share. Rockwell Automation’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.000-13.300 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 13.23 EPS for the current year.

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

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

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

Rockwell Automation Company 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.