Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund Increases Stock Holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK

Key Points

• Fjarde AP Fonden increased its Rockwell Automation stake by 49.4% in Q1, buying 11,960 more shares and bringing its total holdings to 36,195 shares worth about $13.0 million.
• Rockwell Automation reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $3.30 beating estimates and revenue of $2.24 billion also topping expectations; revenue rose 11.9% year over year.
• The company also announced a $1 billion share repurchase program and a quarterly dividend of $1.38 per share, signaling continued shareholder returns despite some recent insider selling.

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund boosted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 49.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 36,195 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 11,960 shares during the period. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund's holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $12,990,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of ROK. MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 97.5% in the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 79 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Corp acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. bought a new position in Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, TD Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Rockwell Automation Stock Up 0.1%

ROK stock opened at $471.99 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $52.52 billion, a PE ratio of 49.06, a P/E/G ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 1.54. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $305.44 and a 12 month high of $497.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 0.76. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $452.22 and a 200 day simple moving average of $414.72.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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 firm had revenue of $2.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.16 billion. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 37.54% and a net margin of 12.36%.Rockwell Automation's revenue was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.45 EPS. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.500-13.100 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 13.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The firm 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 $1.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date 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 is presently 57.38%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Scott Genereux sold 550 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $447.73, for a total value of $246,251.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 2,764 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,237,525.72. This trade represents a 16.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 4,024 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $451.97, for a total value of $1,818,727.28. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 134 shares in the company, valued at $60,563.98. The trade was a 96.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 12,009 shares of company stock valued at $5,232,471 over the last quarter. 0.76% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on ROK. 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. Evercore lifted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $440.00 to $480.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. DA Davidson initiated coverage on Rockwell Automation in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $500.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $525.00 price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $462.82.

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.

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