Insider Selling: Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) VP Sells 1,271 Shares of Stock

Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) VP Isaac Woods sold 1,271 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $405.69, for a total transaction of $515,631.99. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 1,687 shares in the company, valued at $684,399.03. The trade was a 42.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Isaac Woods also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, December 8th, Isaac Woods sold 61 shares of Rockwell Automation stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $400.98, for a total transaction of $24,459.78.
• On Wednesday, December 10th, Isaac Woods sold 229 shares of Rockwell Automation stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $401.92, for a total transaction of $92,039.68.
• On Friday, December 5th, Isaac Woods sold 68 shares of Rockwell Automation stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $402.89, for a total value of $27,396.52.

Rockwell Automation Trading Down 1.0%

ROK stock traded down $4.28 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $407.02. 1,207,283 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,029,420. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a one year low of $215.00 and a one year high of $438.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 1.16. The company has a market cap of $45.73 billion, a PE ratio of 46.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.52. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $407.25 and its 200-day moving average price is $377.58.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The industrial products company reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.46 by $0.29. The company had revenue of $2.11 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.08 billion. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 34.92% and a net margin of 11.56%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.83 earnings per share. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.400-12.200 EPS. Research analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 23rd will be given a dividend of $1.38 per share. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 23rd. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is currently 63.16%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rockwell Automation

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth about $281,000. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 75.9% in 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 acquiring an additional 3,513 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings 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 worth $1,887,000 after purchasing an additional 4,295 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 233.6% during the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,878 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $484,000 after buying an additional 1,315 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund raised its stake in Rockwell Automation by 3.2% in the 2nd quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund now owns 26,195 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $8,701,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares in the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on ROK shares. Argus raised Rockwell Automation to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $435.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $400.00 to $404.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Evercore initiated coverage on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Monday, December 15th. They issued an “in-line” rating and a $440.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $450.00 to $470.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $418.33.

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.