Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI trimmed its stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 89.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 831 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 7,000 shares during the quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI's holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $298,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $615,596,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 5,925.6% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 906,192 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $352,572,000 after buying an additional 891,153 shares during the last quarter. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth $156,017,000. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in Rockwell Automation by 25.0% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,545,104 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $601,154,000 after acquiring an additional 309,316 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. raised its position in Rockwell Automation by 1,666.2% during the third quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 321,722 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $112,451,000 after acquiring an additional 303,506 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.75% of the company's stock.
Rockwell Automation Trading Down 1.5%
Shares of NYSE:ROK opened at $457.79 on Thursday. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12-month low of $305.44 and a 12-month high of $497.36. The business has a 50 day moving average of $461.55 and a 200-day moving average of $421.31. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The stock has a market cap of $50.94 billion, a PE ratio of 47.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 1.54.
Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The industrial products company reported $3.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.88 by $0.42. The company had revenue of $2.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.16 billion. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 37.54% and a net margin of 12.36%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.45 earnings per share. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.500-13.100 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 13.06 earnings per share for the current year.
Rockwell Automation declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program 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 purchase up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.
Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be issued 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 dividend yield of 1.2%. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 57.38%.
Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation
In other news, SVP Christopher Nardecchia sold 2,538 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 14,232 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,353,591.76. The trade was a 15.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal 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 Matthew W. Fordenwalt sold 377 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the senior vice president owned 4,437 shares in the company, valued at $2,043,282.87. This trade represents a 7.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 9,361 shares of company stock valued at $4,189,886. 0.76% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $470.00 to $527.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. TD Cowen boosted their price target on Rockwell Automation from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. BNP Paribas Exane upped their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $495.00 to $515.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $448.00 to $487.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $469.33.
View Our Latest Stock Report on ROK
Rockwell Automation Company Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
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