EP Wealth Advisors LLC Makes New Investment in Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK

Key Points

• EP Wealth Advisors initiated a Rockwell Automation position by purchasing 96,877 shares worth approximately $48.0 million, while institutional investors collectively own 75.75% of the company.
• Rockwell reported quarterly earnings of $3.49 per share and revenue of $2.31 billion, beating analyst expectations; revenue increased 7.9% year over year. The company also authorized a $1.0 billion share-repurchase program.
• Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with an average price target of $468.19. Rockwell declared a quarterly dividend of $1.38 per share, equivalent to a 1.3% annualized yield.

EP Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 96,877 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $47,962,000. EP Wealth Advisors LLC owned 0.09% of Rockwell Automation at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Virtus Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 97.5% during the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 79 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Corp acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In related news, SVP Matthew W. Fordenwalt sold 377 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $460.51, for a total transaction of $173,612.27. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 4,437 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,043,282.87. The trade was a 7.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Christian E. Rothe sold 590 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $434.30, for a total value of $256,237.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 10,429 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,529,314.70. This trade represents a 5.35% 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. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold a total of 1,185 shares of company stock valued at $529,331 over the last quarter. 0.76% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on ROK. Mizuho set a $445.00 price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $525.00 target price on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $404.00 to $417.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Rockwell Automation from $360.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $468.19.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Shares of ROK opened at $437.50 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $48.58 billion, a PE ratio of 41.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.54. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $461.98 and a 200-day moving average of $427.00. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a one year low of $332.71 and a one year high of $497.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.74.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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 net margin of 13.39% and a return on equity of 39.83%. The company had revenue of $2.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.24 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.82 EPS. Rockwell Automation's quarterly revenue was up 7.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.000-13.300 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 13.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Tuesday, June 9th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the industrial products company to buy up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be given a $1.38 dividend. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.73%.

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.

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