Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK Shares Sold by Assenagon Asset Management S.A.

Key Points

• Assenagon Asset Management sharply cut its Rockwell Automation stake by 93.9% in Q1, selling 344,515 shares and ending with 22,448 shares valued at about $8.1 million.
• Rockwell posted strong recent operating results, with Q2 earnings of $3.30 per share beating estimates and revenue of $2.24 billion topping expectations; the company also raised its FY2026 EPS guidance to 12.50–13.10.
• The company’s board approved a $1 billion share repurchase program, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus “Hold” with an average price target of $457.50.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. trimmed its position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 93.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 22,448 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 344,515 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.'s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $8,056,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ROK. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 97.5% during the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 79 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Corp acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, TD Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.75% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Rockwell Automation

Here are the key news stories impacting Rockwell Automation this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Rockwell Automation was highlighted on CNBC’s “Final Trades,” where Stephanie Link chose ROK, which can boost investor sentiment by signaling institutional-style confidence. Qualcomm, Merck, Rockwell Automation And A Real Estate Stock On CNBC’s ‘Final Trades’
• Positive Sentiment: New articles noted that ROK hit a fresh 52-week high and was described as a strong momentum stock, reinforcing the view that traders are chasing the stock’s upward trend. Rockwell Automation, Inc. (ROK) Hits Fresh High: Is There Still Room to Run?
• Positive Sentiment: Rockwell Automation’s Singapore site was named a World Economic Forum Global Lighthouse, and the company also announced FactoryTalk Orchestration deployments, both of which support the narrative around innovation and operational leadership. Rockwell Automation Singapore Site Named a World Economic Forum Global Lighthouse
• Neutral Sentiment: Several research notes from Zacks trimmed earnings estimates for FY2026 and multiple 2027–2028 quarters, but the reductions were modest and forecasts still remain near or above consensus, so the impact looks more like a mild headwind than a major downgrade. MarketBeat Rockwell Automation coverage

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP John M. Miller sold 1,054 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $426.02, for a total value of $449,025.08. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 5,615 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,392,102.30. This represents a 15.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Christopher Nardecchia sold 2,538 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $446.43, for a total transaction of $1,133,039.34. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 14,232 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,353,591.76. This trade represents a 15.13% 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 12,308 shares of company stock valued at $5,339,812 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.76% of the company's stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Shares of ROK stock opened at $476.19 on Monday. The stock's 50-day moving average is $445.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $412.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 1.09. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1 year low of $305.44 and a 1 year high of $486.47. The firm has a market cap of $52.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.50, a PEG ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 1.57.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The industrial products company reported $3.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.88 by $0.42. The business had revenue of $2.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.16 billion. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 37.54% and a net margin of 12.36%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.45 EPS. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.500-13.100 EPS. Analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 13.02 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be paid a $1.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 17th. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. Rockwell Automation's payout ratio is currently 57.38%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on ROK shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Rockwell Automation from $360.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Evercore raised their target price on Rockwell Automation from $440.00 to $480.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $404.00 to $417.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Rockwell Automation from $448.00 to $487.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $435.00 to $410.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $457.50.

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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