Geode Capital Management LLC Has $1.13 Billion Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK

Key Points

• Geode Capital Management increased its Rockwell Automation stake slightly in the fourth quarter, holding 2.92 million shares worth about $1.13 billion, or roughly 2.6% of the company.
• Rockwell Automation reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $3.30 beating estimates and revenue of $2.24 billion topping forecasts; revenue also rose 11.9% year over year.
• Analysts remain mixed but constructive overall, with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $449.16, while the stock recently traded near $451.65 and the company also announced a $1.38 quarterly dividend.

Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 0.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,924,501 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 17,855 shares during the quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC owned about 2.60% of Rockwell Automation worth $1,133,397,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. First Horizon Corp acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 109.5% in the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 88 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. boosted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 100.0% in the third quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dynamic Wealth Strategies LLC boosted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 80.7% in the fourth quarter. Dynamic Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 103 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.75% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ROK has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $470.00 to $510.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $380.00 price target (down from $490.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. HSBC upped their price target on Rockwell Automation from $445.00 to $490.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Rockwell Automation from $448.00 to $487.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Rockwell Automation from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $449.16.

Rockwell Automation Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of ROK opened at $451.65 on Friday. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $408.81 and its 200-day simple moving average is $401.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.26 billion, a PE ratio of 46.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 1.56. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12-month low of $305.44 and a 12-month high of $463.48.

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

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th will be issued a $1.38 dividend. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 18th. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio is currently 57.38%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Scott Genereux sold 550 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at approximately $1,237,525.72. This represents a 16.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed 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 600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $449.58, for a total value of $269,748.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 4,437 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,994,786.46. This represents a 11.91% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 11,713 shares of company stock valued at $5,066,717 in the last ninety days. 0.76% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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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