Kentucky Retirement Systems Acquires 4,345 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK

Kentucky Retirement Systems raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 61.2% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 11,449 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,345 shares during the quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $4,109,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 97.5% in the 4th quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 79 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the period. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 1st quarter worth $31,000. First Horizon Corp bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Finally, BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. 75.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Rockwell Automation Stock Up 2.6%

Rockwell Automation stock opened at $471.20 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $464.60 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $423.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 1.09. The company has a market cap of $52.43 billion, a PE ratio of 48.98, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.54. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $305.44 and a fifty-two week high of $497.36.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.16 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.45 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.500-13.100 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 13.06 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, June 9th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the industrial products company to repurchase up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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 dividend yield of 1.2%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 57.38%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP John M. Miller sold 1,054 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $426.02, for a total transaction of $449,025.08. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 5,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,392,102.30. This trade represents a 15.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Matthew W. Fordenwalt sold 600 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $449.58, for a total value of $269,748.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 4,437 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,994,786.46. This represents a 11.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 9,361 shares of company stock worth $4,189,886. 0.76% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ROK has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $400.00 to $480.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $525.00 price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective 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. Finally, HSBC upped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $445.00 to $490.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $469.33.

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.