Gradient Investments LLC Has $21.64 Million Stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK

Gradient Investments LLC decreased its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 7.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 43,711 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 3,481 shares during the quarter. Gradient Investments LLC’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $21,640,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Mandatum Life Insurance Co Ltd increased its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 26.9% during the first quarter. Mandatum Life Insurance Co Ltd now owns 22,200 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $7,967,000 after purchasing an additional 4,700 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC bought a new position in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth $281,000. Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its position in Rockwell Automation by 24.6% in the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 169,457 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $65,931,000 after purchasing an additional 33,413 shares during the period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. boosted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 197.9% during the fourth quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 13,905 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,410,000 after buying an additional 9,238 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 19.6% during the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 274,512 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $106,965,000 after buying an additional 44,944 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.75% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Rockwell Automation stock opened at $440.95 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.76. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $464.99 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $425.44. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $328.70 and a 52-week high of $497.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 1.54.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $3.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.38 by $0.11. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 39.83% and a net margin of 13.39%.The company had revenue of $2.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.24 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.82 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.000-13.300 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 13.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Monday, August 17th will be issued a dividend of $1.38 per share. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 51.73%.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In other news, SVP Matthew W. Fordenwalt sold 377 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $460.51, for a total transaction of $173,612.27. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 4,437 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,043,282.87. This trade represents a 7.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, VP John M. Miller sold 1,054 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $426.02, for a total transaction of $449,025.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 5,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,392,102.30. This trade represents a 15.80% 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 90 days, insiders sold 1,649 shares of company stock worth $722,119. Company insiders own 0.76% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. DA Davidson began coverage on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $500.00 price objective for the company. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $400.00 to $480.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Zacks Research cut shares of Rockwell Automation from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. BNP Paribas Exane increased their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $495.00 to $515.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $404.00 to $417.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $468.05.

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.