Lazard Asset Management LLC Sells 187,227 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK

Lazard Asset Management LLC cut its stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 8.6% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 1,992,020 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 187,227 shares during the quarter. Rockwell Automation comprises approximately 0.9% of Lazard Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $661,687,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Advisors Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 1.7% in the second quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 2,066 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $686,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Aviso Financial Inc. grew its stake in Rockwell Automation by 4.4% during the second quarter. Aviso Financial Inc. now owns 859 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $285,000 after buying an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. increased its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. now owns 794 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $205,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc raised its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,427 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $476,000 after buying an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 48.7% in the 2nd quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 116 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on ROK shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $357.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Monday. Barclays lifted their price target on Rockwell Automation from $417.00 to $435.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $392.00 to $402.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, September 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $390.33.

Rockwell Automation Stock Down 1.9%

Shares of ROK opened at $405.06 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 1.14. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52 week low of $215.00 and a 52 week high of $415.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.88, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.50. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $372.87 and a 200-day moving average of $350.88.

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

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Scott Genereux sold 1,387 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $402.03, for a total transaction of $557,615.61. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 4,514 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,814,763.42. This trade represents a 23.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Rebecca W. House sold 1,698 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $402.06, for a total transaction of $682,697.88. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 12,200 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,905,132. This trade represents a 12.22% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 87,253 shares of company stock worth $34,405,319 over the last quarter. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Rockwell Automation

Rockwell Automation, Inc provides industrial automation and digital transformation solutions in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Latin America. The company operates through three segments, Intelligent Devices, Software & Control, and Lifecycle Services. Its solutions include hardware and software products and services.