Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK Shares Purchased by Lombard Odier Asset Management Europe Ltd

Key Points

• Lombard Odier Asset Management Europe increased its Rockwell Automation stake by 54.2% in the first quarter, bringing its holdings to 36,211 shares valued at approximately $13 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 75.75% of the company.
• Rockwell Automation exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $3.30 in EPS and $2.24 billion in revenue, with revenue up 11.9% year over year. Analysts have an average “Hold” rating and a $469.33 price target, below the stock’s recent $481.31 level.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.38 per share and authorized a $1 billion stock-repurchase program covering up to 2% of outstanding shares.

Lombard Odier Asset Management Europe Ltd lifted its stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 54.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 36,211 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 12,727 shares during the period. Lombard Odier Asset Management Europe Ltd's holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $12,995,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Richards Merrill & Peterson Inc. lifted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 1.9% in the first 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 last quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 4.6% in the 1st 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 last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.7% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 1.9% in the 4th 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 lifted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 1,446 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $563,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ROK has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $470.00 to $510.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Rockwell Automation from $470.00 to $527.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. DA Davidson started coverage on Rockwell Automation in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $500.00 price objective for the company. Zacks Research downgraded Rockwell Automation from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, HSBC raised their target price on Rockwell Automation from $445.00 to $490.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $469.33.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In related news, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 4,024 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the vice president owned 134 shares in the company, valued at $60,563.98. This represents a 96.78% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Scott Genereux sold 550 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $447.73, for a total transaction of $246,251.50. Following the sale, the vice president owned 2,764 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,237,525.72. This represents a 16.60% decrease in their position. 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 9,361 shares of company stock worth $4,189,886 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.76% of the company's stock.

Rockwell Automation Trading Up 0.3%

NYSE:ROK opened at $481.31 on Monday. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $465.17 and its 200 day moving average price is $424.27. The company has a market capitalization of $53.56 billion, a PE ratio of 50.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 1.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $305.44 and a 52-week high of $497.36.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The industrial products company reported $3.30 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.88 by $0.42. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 37.54% and a net margin of 12.36%.The company had revenue of $2.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.16 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.45 earnings per share. The firm'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. On average, research analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 13.06 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. Rockwell Automation's payout ratio is presently 57.38%.

Rockwell Automation declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock 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 buy up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company's leadership 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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