LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. Takes $3.49 Million Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK

Key Points

• LGT Fund Management opened a new position in Rockwell Automation, buying 9,720 shares worth about $3.49 million in the first quarter.
• Rockwell Automation reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $3.30 beating expectations and revenue of $2.24 billion topping estimates; it also raised FY 2026 guidance to 12.50-13.10 EPS.
• The company announced a $1 billion stock buyback and a quarterly dividend of $1.38 per share, while analysts currently have a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with a $466.71 price target.

LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 9,720 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $3,488,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Richards Merrill & Peterson Inc. boosted its position in Rockwell Automation by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. Richards Merrill & Peterson Inc. now owns 1,358 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $487,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the period. Cidel Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 4.6% during the first quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. now owns 574 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $206,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 3,719 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,544,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. raised its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 1,412 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $549,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV raised its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 1,446 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $563,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ROK opened at $472.91 on Monday. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $305.44 and a twelve month high of $497.36. 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 firm has a 50-day moving average of $458.98 and a two-hundred day moving average of $417.50. The company has a market capitalization of $52.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.16, a PEG ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 1.54.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The industrial products company reported $3.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 in the previous year, the company posted $2.45 EPS. The business'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, analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 13.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be given a $1.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 17th. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. Rockwell Automation's payout ratio is 57.38%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 4,024 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $451.97, for a total transaction of $1,818,727.28. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 134 shares in the company, valued at approximately $60,563.98. This represents a 96.78% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP John M. Miller sold 1,054 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $426.02, for a total value of $449,025.08. Following the sale, the vice president directly 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 have sold 9,361 shares of company stock valued at $4,189,886 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.76% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on ROK shares. Evercore increased their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $440.00 to $480.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $400.00 to $480.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Citigroup boosted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $466.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $525.00 target price on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Mizuho set a $445.00 price target on Rockwell Automation in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $466.71.

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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