ING Groep NV Sells 5,025 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK

Key Points

• ING Groep NV reduced its Rockwell Automation stake by 34.6% in the fourth quarter, selling 5,025 shares and leaving it with 9,510 shares valued at about $3.7 million.
• Rockwell Automation reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $3.30 beating estimates and revenue of $2.24 billion topping forecasts; revenue rose 11.9% year over year.
• Analysts turned more bullish on the stock after the earnings release, with several raising price targets and the consensus rating sitting at “Moderate Buy” with an average target price of $449.16.

ING Groep NV lowered its stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 34.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,510 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 5,025 shares during the period. ING Groep NV's holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $3,700,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, VP Scott Genereux sold 550 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $447.73, for a total transaction of $246,251.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 2,764 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,237,525.72. This trade represents a 16.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, VP John M. Miller sold 1,054 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $426.02, for a total transaction of $449,025.08. Following the sale, the vice president owned 5,615 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,392,102.30. This represents a 15.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 12,308 shares of company stock worth $5,339,812 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.76% of the company's stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Up 1.1%

NYSE:ROK opened at $451.57 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $50.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 1.09. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $305.44 and a fifty-two week high of $468.11. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $420.75 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $404.88.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The industrial products company reported $3.30 earnings per share 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 analyst estimates of $2.16 billion. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 12.36% and a return on equity of 37.54%. Rockwell Automation's revenue was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.45 EPS. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.500-13.100 EPS. Analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 13.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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. 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 (DPR) is currently 57.38%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on ROK shares. BNP Paribas Exane raised their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $495.00 to $515.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $448.00 to $487.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Barclays raised their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $400.00 to $480.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Citigroup raised their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $466.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $365.00 to $378.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $449.16.

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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