Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK Shares Sold by Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group cut its stake in Rockwell Automation by 49.2% in the fourth quarter, leaving it with 4,901 shares valued at about $1.9 million.
• Insiders sold shares recently, including SVP Christopher Nardecchia and VP John M. Miller, with total insider sales over the last quarter reaching 11,713 shares worth about $5.1 million.
• Rockwell Automation reported strong quarterly results, posting EPS of $3.30 versus the $2.88 estimate and revenue of $2.24 billion, while also raising its FY 2026 EPS guidance to 12.50-13.10.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. reduced its position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 49.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,901 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 4,756 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $1,907,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in ROK. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 5,925.6% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 906,192 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $352,572,000 after buying an additional 891,153 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 122.3% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 819,708 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $286,522,000 after buying an additional 451,038 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. raised its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 1,666.2% in the 3rd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 321,722 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $112,451,000 after buying an additional 303,506 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its position in Rockwell Automation by 126.2% during the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 321,964 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $112,536,000 after purchasing an additional 179,606 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group increased its position in Rockwell Automation by 167.2% during the 3rd quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 260,172 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $89,637,000 after purchasing an additional 162,805 shares in the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Rockwell Automation news, 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 14,232 shares in the company, valued at $6,353,591.76. This trade represents a 15.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, VP John M. Miller sold 1,054 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $426.02, for a total value of $449,025.08. Following the sale, the vice president owned 5,615 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,392,102.30. This trade represents a 15.80% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 11,713 shares of company stock worth $5,066,717 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.76% of the company's stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Rockwell Automation stock opened at $456.34 on Thursday. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12-month low of $305.44 and a 12-month high of $463.48. The company has a market capitalization of $50.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 1.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 0.76. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $404.94 and its 200 day moving average price is $400.61.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The industrial products company reported $3.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.16 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.45 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.500-13.100 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 13.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on ROK shares. BNP Paribas Exane increased their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $495.00 to $515.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $365.00 to $378.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $466.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $360.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. One investment 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 company. According to MarketBeat, Rockwell Automation has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $449.16.

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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