HighTower Advisors LLC Boosts Stock Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK

Key Points

• HighTower Advisors LLC increased its Rockwell Automation stake by 27.6% in the fourth quarter, buying 29,649 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 137,244 shares worth about $53.4 million.
• Rockwell Automation posted stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $3.30 and revenue of $2.24 billion, both above analyst estimates. The company also raised FY2026 guidance to 12.5-13.1 EPS.
• Wall Street remains generally constructive on the stock, with several firms lifting price targets and a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating. At the same time, insiders have been net sellers in recent months, including multiple large VP stock sales.

HighTower Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 27.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 137,244 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 29,649 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC owned 0.12% of Rockwell Automation worth $53,398,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ grew its stake in Rockwell Automation by 7.1% during the 3rd quarter. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ now owns 61,834 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $21,613,000 after purchasing an additional 4,086 shares during the last quarter. Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,556,000. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its stake in Rockwell Automation by 180.5% during the 3rd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 5,842 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,042,000 after purchasing an additional 3,759 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 20.7% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 744,814 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $291,073,000 after buying an additional 127,733 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 911.0% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 91,808 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $35,720,000 after buying an additional 82,727 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.75% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Rockwell Automation

Here are the key news stories impacting Rockwell Automation this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Rockwell’s latest investor presentation at the Wolfe Research Global Transportation & Industrials Conference likely kept attention on the company’s strategy and outlook, reinforcing the bull case for industrial automation. Rockwell Automation, Inc. (ROK) Presents at Wolfe Research 19th Annual Global Transportation & Industrials Conference Transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised earnings estimates across multiple future periods, including FY2027 and FY2028, signaling expectations for stronger profit growth ahead. Higher EPS forecasts often support a stock’s valuation.
• Positive Sentiment: Rockwell’s new global manufacturing study found that 90% of manufacturers now say digital transformation is essential, a constructive trend for Rockwell’s automation, software, and digital solutions business. 90% of Manufacturers Say Digital Transformation Is Now Essential, According to New Global Study
• Positive Sentiment: The company reported strong recent quarterly results, with earnings and revenue beating expectations and management guiding FY2026 EPS above many investors’ assumptions, which continues to underpin sentiment.
• Neutral Sentiment: A Zacks-style momentum writeup highlighted Rockwell as a long-term momentum stock, but this is more of a sentiment/ratings piece than a new operational catalyst. Why Rockwell Automation (ROK) is a Top Momentum Stock for the Long-Term
• Neutral Sentiment: Several market commentary items and conference transcripts add to the news flow, but they do not appear to change Rockwell’s near-term fundamentals by themselves.
• Negative Sentiment: One MarketWatch item noted the stock underperformed peers earlier in the week, suggesting some short-term trading pressure before the newer positive updates. Rockwell Automation Inc. stock underperforms Monday when compared to competitors

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Scott Genereux sold 17,407 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $404.61, for a total value of $7,043,046.27. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 3,314 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,340,877.54. This represents a 84.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 4,024 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $451.97, for a total value of $1,818,727.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 134 shares of the company's stock, valued at $60,563.98. The trade was a 96.78% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 59,087 shares of company stock worth $24,296,483 in the last ninety days. 0.76% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ROK has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Stephens upped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $425.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. BNP Paribas Exane upped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $495.00 to $515.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Evercore upped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $440.00 to $480.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. TD Cowen upped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Mizuho set a $445.00 target price on Rockwell Automation in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $449.16.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

NYSE ROK opened at $435.89 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $48.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.31, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.56. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $298.70 and a twelve month high of $463.48. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $396.36 and a 200 day moving average of $397.59.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last released 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 company had revenue of $2.24 billion during 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 quarterly revenue was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.45 EPS. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.500-13.100 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 13.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 is presently 57.38%.

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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