Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK Stock: Sterling Capital Management LLC Trims Stake

Key Points

• Sterling Capital Management cut its Rockwell Automation stake by 33.3% in the third quarter, selling 28,551 shares and retaining 57,166 shares valued at approximately $24.9 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 75.75% of ROK.
• Rockwell Automation reported quarterly EPS of $3.49, exceeding estimates of $3.38, while revenue rose 7.9% year over year to $2.31 billion. Management set fiscal 2026 EPS guidance at $13.00–$13.30.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious, with a consensus “Hold” rating and a $468 target price; nine analysts rate the stock Buy and 13 rate it Hold. ROK recently traded at $425.78, below the consensus target.

Sterling Capital Management LLC lessened its position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 33.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 57,166 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 28,551 shares during the quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.05% of Rockwell Automation worth $24,886,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

Shares of Rockwell Automation stock traded up $1.91 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $425.78. The company had a trading volume of 1,158,401 shares, compared to its average volume of 825,456. 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 stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $430.47 and a 200 day simple moving average of $441.53. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $347.53 and a 1-year high of $497.36. The company has a market capitalization of $47.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.51.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $3.49 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.38 by $0.11. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 39.83% and a net margin of 13.39%. The firm had revenue of $2.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.24 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.82 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.000-13.300 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 13.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on ROK. Robert W. Baird set a $514.00 target price on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Evercore set a $485.00 price objective on Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Zacks Research cut Rockwell Automation from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. DA Davidson cut their target price on Rockwell Automation from $500.00 to $490.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $501.00 to $514.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $468.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rockwell Automation

In related news, VP Isaac Woods sold 154 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $432.62, for a total transaction of $66,623.48. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 1,858 shares of the company's stock, valued at $803,807.96. The trade was a 7.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 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 De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 467 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $426.96, for a total value of $199,390.32. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 1,267 shares of the company's stock, valued at $540,958.32. This represents 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 2,711 shares of company stock valued at $1,164,880. 0.76% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Rockwell Automation 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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