Handelsbanken Fonder AB Acquires 33,413 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK

Key Points

• Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its Rockwell Automation stake by 24.6% in the fourth quarter, buying 33,413 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 169,457 shares worth about $65.9 million.
• Rockwell Automation beat earnings expectations in its latest quarterly report, posting $3.30 EPS versus the $2.88 consensus and revenue of $2.24 billion, up 11.9% year over year.
• Analysts remain mostly positive on ROK, with the stock carrying a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $449.16, while the company also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.38 per share.

Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 24.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 169,457 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 33,413 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB owned about 0.15% of Rockwell Automation worth $65,931,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of ROK. First Horizon Corp purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its position in Rockwell Automation by 109.5% during the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 88 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. grew its position in Rockwell Automation by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Wealth Strategies LLC grew its position in Rockwell Automation by 80.7% during the 4th quarter. Dynamic Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 103 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter valued at about $55,000. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ROK has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. HSBC increased their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $445.00 to $490.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Mizuho set a $445.00 price target on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $525.00 price target on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $404.00 to $417.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane raised their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $495.00 to $515.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $449.16.

Rockwell Automation Stock Down 2.8%

ROK opened at $436.09 on Tuesday. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $298.70 and a 1-year high of $463.48. The company has a market capitalization of $48.52 billion, a PE ratio of 45.33, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.56. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $394.09 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $396.71. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

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

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th will be paid a dividend of $1.38 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 18th. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 57.38%.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 4,024 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $451.97, for a total transaction of $1,818,727.28. Following the sale, the vice president owned 134 shares in the company, valued at approximately $60,563.98. This trade represents a 96.78% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Scott Genereux sold 550 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $447.73, for a total transaction of $246,251.50. Following the sale, the vice president owned 2,764 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,237,525.72. The trade was a 16.60% 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. Insiders have sold 59,087 shares of company stock worth $24,296,483 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.76% of the company's stock.

Rockwell Automation Company 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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