Pacer Advisors Inc. Trims Holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK

Key Points

• Pacer Advisors cut its Rockwell Automation stake by 29.9% in the first quarter, selling 3,200 shares and retaining 7,492 shares valued at approximately $2.69 million. Institutional investors collectively own 75.75% of the company.
• Rockwell Automation exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $3.49 in EPS and $2.31 billion in revenue, with revenue up 7.9% year over year. The company issued fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $13.00–$13.30.
• The company authorized a $1 billion share-repurchase program and declared a quarterly dividend of $1.38 per share, equivalent to a $5.52 annualized payout and a 1.3% yield. Analysts’ consensus rating remains “Hold,” with an average price target of $468.05.

Pacer Advisors Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 29.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,492 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 3,200 shares during the quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $2,689,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in ROK. Brighton Jones LLC bought a new position in Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter worth about $281,000. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 75.9% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 8,139 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,059,000 after acquiring an additional 3,513 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 142.7% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 7,305 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,887,000 after purchasing an additional 4,295 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 233.6% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,878 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $484,000 after purchasing an additional 1,315 shares during the period. Finally, Jump Financial LLC bought a new position in Rockwell Automation in the second quarter worth approximately $868,000. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ROK opened at $440.95 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $48.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 1.54. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52 week low of $328.70 and a 52 week high of $497.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $464.99 and a 200 day moving average of $425.44.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $3.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $2.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.24 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.82 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter 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, sell-side analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 13.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, June 9th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the industrial products company to repurchase up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Monday, August 17th will be given a dividend of $1.38 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. 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 51.73%.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, SVP Matthew W. Fordenwalt sold 377 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $460.51, for a total value of $173,612.27. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 4,437 shares in the company, valued at $2,043,282.87. The trade was a 7.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, VP John M. Miller sold 1,054 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $426.02, for a total transaction of $449,025.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 5,615 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 1,649 shares of company stock worth $722,119. 0.76% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Zacks Research downgraded Rockwell Automation from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Argus increased their price target on Rockwell Automation from $465.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Rockwell Automation from $360.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. BNP Paribas Exane lifted their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $495.00 to $515.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, DA Davidson assumed coverage on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $500.00 price objective for the company. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $468.05.

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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