Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK Shares Acquired by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its Rockwell Automation stake by 3.1% in the first quarter, ending with 707,881 shares valued at about $254 million.
• Rockwell Automation reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $3.30 beating expectations and revenue of $2.24 billion topping estimates; revenue rose 11.9% year over year.
• The company announced a $1 billion share buyback and a quarterly dividend of $1.38 per share, while analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with a consensus price target of $469.33.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 3.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 707,881 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 20,956 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 0.63% of Rockwell Automation worth $254,000,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ROK. Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,556,000. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 82,727 shares during the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth approximately $281,000. Mandatum Life Insurance Co Ltd grew its holdings in 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 worth $7,967,000 after acquiring an additional 4,700 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 33,413 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.75% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In other Rockwell Automation news, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 4,024 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the vice president owned 134 shares in the company, valued at approximately $60,563.98. The trade was a 96.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Matthew W. Fordenwalt sold 600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $449.58, for a total transaction of $269,748.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 4,437 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,994,786.46. This trade represents a 11.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 9,361 shares of company stock valued at $4,189,886 over the last 90 days. 0.76% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Rockwell Automation Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of Rockwell Automation stock opened at $457.79 on Thursday. 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 company has a fifty day simple moving average of $461.55 and a 200-day simple moving average of $421.31. The stock has a market cap of $50.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.59, a PEG ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 1.54. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12-month low of $305.44 and a 12-month high of $497.36.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 12.36% and a return on equity of 37.54%. The firm had revenue of $2.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.16 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.45 earnings per share. Rockwell Automation's quarterly 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. On average, equities analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 13.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation declared that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, June 9th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the industrial products company to reacquire up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The company 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 dividend of $1.38 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on ROK. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $501.00 price objective on the stock. Evercore increased their target price on Rockwell Automation from $440.00 to $480.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Barclays increased their target price on Rockwell Automation from $400.00 to $480.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Mizuho set a $445.00 price target on Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $469.33.

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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