Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK Shares Sold by AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc

Key Points

• AEGON Asset Management UK cut its Rockwell Automation stake by 46.7% in the third quarter, selling 45,479 shares and retaining 51,865 shares valued at about $22.6 million.
• Analysts have a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $471.33; several firms recently lowered their targets.
• Rockwell beat quarterly EPS estimates, reporting $3.88 per share versus $3.69 expected, though revenue fell short of consensus. It also raised its quarterly dividend from $1.38 to $1.45 per share.

AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc trimmed its position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 46.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 51,865 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 45,479 shares during the quarter. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc's holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $22,578,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. M&G PLC grew its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 2.4% during the third quarter. M&G PLC now owns 19,288 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $8,390,000 after buying an additional 459 shares during the last quarter. AlphaCore Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 32.1% during the 3rd quarter. AlphaCore Capital LLC now owns 2,862 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,246,000 after acquiring an additional 696 shares in the last quarter. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its position in Rockwell Automation by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 140,092 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $61,984,000 after acquiring an additional 5,674 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Almanack Investment Partners LLC. grew its position in Rockwell Automation by 14.5% during the 3rd quarter. Almanack Investment Partners LLC. now owns 631 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $275,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on ROK. Citigroup dropped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $536.00 to $504.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday. DA Davidson lowered their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $500.00 to $490.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $510.00 to $485.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, September 30th. Stephens cut their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $550.00 to $500.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $520.00 target price on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Friday, October 16th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $471.33.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In other news, Director Patricia Watson sold 1,100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $431.43, for a total value of $474,573.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 6,385 shares in the company, valued at $2,754,680.55. This trade represents a 14.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Blake Moret bought 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 9th. The stock was bought at an average price of $386.36 per share, for a total transaction of $1,545,440.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 99,285 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $38,359,752.60. This represents a 4.20% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 2,711 shares of company stock valued at $1,164,880. Corporate insiders own 0.76% of the company's stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Shares of Rockwell Automation stock opened at $388.95 on Tuesday. 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 business has a 50-day moving average price of $428.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $427.16. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $347.53 and a 1-year high of $497.36. The company has a market cap of $43.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.46, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.51.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 5th. The industrial products company reported $3.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.69 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $2.33 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.41 billion. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 39.83% and a net margin of 13.39%. The firm's revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.34 EPS. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.500-15.500 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 15.00 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 16th will be paid a $1.45 dividend. This represents a $5.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. This is a boost from Rockwell Automation's previous quarterly dividend of $1.38. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 16th. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.98%.

Rockwell Automation Company Profile

Rockwell Automation, Inc is an industrial automation and digital transformation company headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Its roots date to 1903, when it was founded as the Compression Rheostat Company.

The company provides hardware, software and services that help manufacturers automate and manage industrial operations. Its offerings include control systems, sensors, motor-control products, industrial software and services for optimizing production and maintaining equipment. Its Allen-Bradley and FactoryTalk brands are among its best-known product lines.

Rockwell Automation serves customers across a range of industries and operates in markets around the world.

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