Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK Shares Sold by Renaissance Group LLC

Renaissance Group LLC lowered its stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 1.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 93,189 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,266 shares during the quarter. Rockwell Automation comprises about 1.5% of Renaissance Group LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Renaissance Group LLC owned 0.08% of Rockwell Automation worth $36,257,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter worth approximately $281,000. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Rockwell Automation by 75.9% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 8,139 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,059,000 after purchasing an additional 3,513 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake 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 valued at $1,887,000 after purchasing an additional 4,295 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 233.6% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,878 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $484,000 after purchasing an additional 1,315 shares during the period. Finally, Jump Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 2nd quarter worth $868,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on ROK shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Rockwell Automation from $404.00 to $417.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and set a $380.00 price objective (down from $490.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $448.00 to $487.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $466.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Evercore upped their price target on Rockwell Automation from $440.00 to $480.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $451.75.

Rockwell Automation Stock Down 4.4%

Rockwell Automation stock opened at $440.24 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $48.99 billion, a PE ratio of 45.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 1.57. 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 firm’s 50 day moving average price is $424.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $406.00. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $305.44 and a twelve month high of $468.11.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The industrial products company reported $3.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.88 by $0.42. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 12.36% and a return on equity of 37.54%. The company had revenue of $2.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.16 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.45 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.500-13.100 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 13.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Monday, August 17th will be given a dividend of $1.38 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 57.38%.

Rockwell Automation declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, June 9th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the industrial products company to reacquire up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In related news, SVP Matthew W. Fordenwalt sold 1,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $400.00, for a total value of $480,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 4,437 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,774,800. The trade was a 21.29% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 1,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $387.50, for a total transaction of $484,375.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 1,734 shares in the company, valued at approximately $671,925. The trade was a 41.89% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 12,308 shares of company stock valued at $5,339,812. Corporate insiders own 0.76% of the company’s stock.

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.