Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK Shares Bought by Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

Key Points

• Goldman Sachs increased its stake in Rockwell Automation by 1.2% in the fourth quarter, adding 24,719 shares and bringing its total holding to 2,104,985 shares worth about $819 million.
• Rockwell posted strong quarterly results, beating expectations with EPS of $3.30 on revenue of $2.24 billion, while revenue rose 11.9% year over year. The company also reaffirmed FY 2026 guidance of 12.50 to 13.10 EPS.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.38 per share, payable June 10, for an annualized yield of about 1.2%. Meanwhile, analysts remain constructive, with several raising price targets and the consensus rating at “Moderate Buy.”

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 1.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,104,985 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 24,719 shares during the quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. owned approximately 1.87% of Rockwell Automation worth $818,986,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ boosted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 7.1% during the 3rd quarter. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ now owns 61,834 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $21,613,000 after purchasing an additional 4,086 shares during the last quarter. Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth $1,556,000. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 180.5% during the 3rd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 5,842 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,042,000 after acquiring an additional 3,759 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 20.7% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 744,814 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $291,073,000 after acquiring an additional 127,733 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 911.0% during the 4th 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 period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.75% of the company's stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of ROK opened at $461.76 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $51.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 1.57. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12-month low of $305.44 and a 12-month high of $468.11. The company's 50-day moving average price is $415.09 and its 200 day moving average price is $403.13. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The industrial products company reported $3.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.88 by $0.42. The firm had revenue of $2.24 billion for 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.45 EPS. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.500-13.100 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 13.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th will be issued a $1.38 dividend. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 18th. Rockwell Automation's payout ratio is 57.38%.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In related news, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 4,024 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $451.97, for a total value of $1,818,727.28. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 134 shares in the company, valued at approximately $60,563.98. The trade was a 96.78% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Matthew W. Fordenwalt sold 218 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $456.34, for a total value of $99,482.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 4,814 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,196,820.76. This represents a 4.33% 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. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold 11,931 shares of company stock worth $5,166,199 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.76% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on ROK shares. KeyCorp lifted their price target on Rockwell Automation from $470.00 to $510.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. HSBC lifted their price target on Rockwell Automation from $445.00 to $490.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $525.00 price target on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. BNP Paribas Exane lifted their price target on Rockwell Automation from $495.00 to $515.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on Rockwell Automation from $466.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $449.16.

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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