Insider Selling: Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) VP Sells 800 Shares of Stock

Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) VP Terry Riesterer sold 800 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $392.00, for a total value of $313,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 1,234 shares in the company, valued at approximately $483,728. This trade represents a 39.33% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Rockwell Automation Trading Up 1.6%

NYSE ROK traded up $6.26 on Monday, reaching $404.81. The company had a trading volume of 832,238 shares, compared to its average volume of 682,419. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52 week low of $215.00 and a 52 week high of $415.89. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $387.29 and its 200-day moving average is $359.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The stock has a market cap of $45.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.85, a PEG ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.52.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The industrial products company reported $3.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.94 by $0.40. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 32.69% and a net margin of 10.42%.The company had revenue of $4.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.19 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.47 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.200-12.200 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 17th were issued a $1.38 dividend. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. This is a boost from Rockwell Automation’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.31. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 17th. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is currently 72.06%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $329.00 to $448.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $392.00 to $402.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Citigroup raised their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $439.00 to $466.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 8th. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $391.00 price target on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, September 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $403.31.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 7.1% in the third quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 440 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $154,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Equitable Trust Co. increased its position in Rockwell Automation by 1.1% during the third quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 2,598 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $908,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the period. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG increased its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 2.2% during the third quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG now owns 1,384 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $484,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc boosted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 3.6% in the third quarter. Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc now owns 902 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $315,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the period. Finally, Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC raised its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 1,015 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $355,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

About Rockwell Automation

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.