Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK Stake Reduced by VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al

Key Points

• Virginia Retirement Systems cut its Rockwell Automation stake by 80.3% in the third quarter, selling 9,920 shares and ending the period with 2,440 shares valued at about $1.06 million.
• Rockwell reported quarterly EPS of $3.88, above the $3.69 consensus, but revenue of $2.33 billion fell short of expectations and rose just 0.7% year over year. Its FY2027 EPS guidance of $14.50–$15.50 broadly bracketed analyst estimates.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $1.45 per share, equivalent to $5.80 annually and a 1.5% yield. Analysts’ consensus rating was Hold, with an average price target of $468.

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al lessened its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 80.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,440 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 9,920 shares during the quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al's holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $1,062,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $6,129,376,000. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 5.3% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,323,990 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,635,801,000 after acquiring an additional 265,978 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $394,905,000. Amundi raised its stake in Rockwell Automation by 13.5% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 998,374 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $358,296,000 after acquiring an additional 118,474 shares during the period. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its stake in Rockwell Automation by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 981,885 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $352,379,000 after acquiring an additional 3,886 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.75% of the company's stock.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

Rockwell Automation stock opened at $379.54 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $42.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.57, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.51. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $347.53 and a 12 month high of $497.36. The stock's 50 day moving average is $430.52 and its 200-day moving average is $427.46.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The industrial products company reported $3.88 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.69 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $2.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 for the quarter was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.34 EPS. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.500-15.500 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 13.26 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 16th will be given a dividend of $1.45 per share. This represents a $5.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 16th. This is a positive change from Rockwell Automation's previous quarterly dividend of $1.38. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 54.36%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ROK has been the subject of several research reports. Morgan Stanley set a $520.00 price target on Rockwell Automation in a report on Friday, October 16th. Evercore set a $485.00 price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $501.00 to $514.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Rockwell Automation from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $469.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 30th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $468.00.

Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation

In other news, CFO Christian Rothe sold 590 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $434.30, for a total transaction of $256,237.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 10,429 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,529,314.70. This trade represents a 5.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a 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. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, SVP Matheus Bulho sold 467 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $426.96, for a total transaction of $199,390.32. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 1,267 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $540,958.32. The trade was a 26.93% 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 2,711 shares of company stock worth $1,164,880 over the last quarter. 0.76% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Rockwell Automation

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

• Positive Sentiment: Adjusted Q4 EPS of $3.88 beat the consensus estimate of $3.69 and rose from $3.34 a year earlier. Margin gains and solid performance in some segments supported profit growth. Rockwell Automation Q4 Earnings Beat Estimates on Margin Gains
• Neutral Sentiment: For FY2027, Rockwell forecast EPS of $14.50–$15.50 versus a $14.92 consensus, and revenue of $9.4–$9.7 billion versus $9.6 billion expected. The ranges largely bracket estimates, though the revenue midpoint is slightly below consensus. Rockwell Automation Issues Fiscal 2027 Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 revenue of $2.33 billion missed the $2.41 billion analyst estimate and increased only 0.7% year over year. The sales shortfall, despite the EPS beat, likely weighed on shares and raised questions about the pace of demand growth. Rockwell Automation Issues Fiscal 2027 Outlook

Rockwell Automation Company Profile

Rockwell Automation, Inc NYSE: ROK is a global provider of industrial automation and digital transformation technologies. The company helps manufacturers and industrial organizations improve productivity, safety, quality and operational efficiency through connected hardware, software and services.

Its product portfolio includes industrial control systems, programmable logic controllers, motor control and sensing equipment, industrial computers, safety products, networking technologies and power-control solutions.

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