Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Invests $14.71 Million in Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management acquired 29,714 Rockwell Automation shares valued at approximately $14.71 million, while institutional investors collectively own 75.75% of the company.
• Rockwell Automation exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, reporting $3.49 in EPS and $2.31 billion in revenue, up 7.9% year over year. Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with an average price target of $468.19.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.38, equivalent to a 1.3% yield, and authorized a $1 billion share-repurchase program covering up to 2% of outstanding shares.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 29,714 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $14,711,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Flputnam Investment Management Co. bought a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the second quarter worth about $1,001,000. Mandatum Life Insurance Co Ltd grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 26.9% during the 1st quarter. Mandatum Life Insurance Co Ltd now owns 22,200 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $7,967,000 after acquiring an additional 4,700 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth approximately $281,000. Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 24.6% during the 4th quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 169,457 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $65,931,000 after purchasing an additional 33,413 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 197.9% in the 4th quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 13,905 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $5,410,000 after purchasing an additional 9,238 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.75% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ROK has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Barclays upped their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $400.00 to $480.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. HSBC boosted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $445.00 to $490.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Robert W. Baird set a $514.00 price target on Rockwell Automation in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Argus lifted their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $465.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $468.19.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Rockwell Automation news, CFO Christian E. Rothe sold 590 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $434.30, for a total value of $256,237.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 10,429 shares in the company, valued at $4,529,314.70. This represents a 5.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, SVP Matthew W. Fordenwalt sold 377 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $460.51, for a total transaction of $173,612.27. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 4,437 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,043,282.87. The trade was a 7.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 1,185 shares of company stock valued at $529,331 over the last 90 days. 0.76% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Rockwell Automation Stock Up 1.4%

Rockwell Automation stock opened at $437.50 on Friday. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $332.71 and a 1-year high of $497.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.54. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $461.98 and a 200 day simple moving average of $427.00.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $3.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.38 by $0.11. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 39.83% and a net margin of 13.39%.The firm had revenue of $2.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.24 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.82 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.000-13.300 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 13.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be issued a $1.38 dividend. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio is presently 51.73%.

Rockwell Automation announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Tuesday, June 9th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the industrial products company to buy up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

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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