Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. Boosts Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. boosted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 2.3% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 71,891 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,585 shares during the period. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $25,800,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ROK. Balboa Wealth Partners bought a new position in Rockwell Automation in the 1st quarter worth about $323,000. Strong Tower Advisory Services increased its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 4.4% during the first quarter. Strong Tower Advisory Services now owns 3,308 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,187,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares during the period. Montecito Bank & Trust raised its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 21.0% during the first quarter. Montecito Bank & Trust now owns 802 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $288,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Paladin Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the first quarter valued at approximately $234,000. Finally, WESPAC Advisors SoCal LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 18.9% in the first quarter. WESPAC Advisors SoCal LLC now owns 4,266 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,531,000 after purchasing an additional 679 shares during the period. 75.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Rockwell Automation Stock Up 0.9%

Rockwell Automation stock opened at $478.09 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 0.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.70, a PEG ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 1.57. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $305.44 and a 1-year high of $479.59. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $439.82 and a 200-day moving average price of $410.34.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The industrial products company reported $3.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $2.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.16 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.45 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue 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 research analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan 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 purchase up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors 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. Stockholders 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 payout ratio is presently 57.38%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Christopher Nardecchia sold 2,538 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $446.43, for a total value of $1,133,039.34. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 14,232 shares in the company, valued at $6,353,591.76. This trade represents a 15.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 4,024 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $451.97, for a total transaction of $1,818,727.28. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 134 shares in the company, valued at $60,563.98. The trade was a 96.78% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 12,308 shares of company stock valued at $5,339,812. 0.76% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on ROK. HSBC raised their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $445.00 to $490.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Citigroup upped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $466.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $525.00 price target on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen lowered Rockwell Automation from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $360.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $454.05.

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.