Sterling Capital Management LLC Has $35.84 Million Stock Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK

Key Points

• Sterling Capital Management cut its Rockwell Automation stake by 24.5% in the first quarter, selling 32,332 shares and ending with 99,869 shares worth about $35.84 million.
• Rockwell Automation beat earnings expectations in its latest quarter, reporting EPS of $3.30 versus estimates of $2.88 and revenue of $2.24 billion, up 11.9% year over year.
• The company also announced a $1 billion share repurchase program and a quarterly dividend of $1.38 per share, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus “Hold” with a $457.50 price target.

Sterling Capital Management LLC reduced its holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 24.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 99,869 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 32,332 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC owned about 0.09% of Rockwell Automation worth $35,841,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ROK. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Rockwell Automation by 2.5% during the 1st quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 58,025 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $20,824,000 after acquiring an additional 1,431 shares in the last quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN increased its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 85.1% in the 1st quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN now owns 1,381 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $496,000 after purchasing an additional 635 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the first quarter worth approximately $2,046,000. Fiduciary Alliance LLC lifted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 13.3% in the first quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 1,509 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $600,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Chatterton & Associates Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 119.6% during the first quarter. Chatterton & Associates Inc. now owns 1,377 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $544,000 after purchasing an additional 750 shares during the period. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $435.00 to $410.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 30th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Evercore boosted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $440.00 to $480.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. 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 note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Rockwell Automation from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $457.50.

Rockwell Automation Trading Down 0.7%

NYSE:ROK opened at $476.19 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $52.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.50, a P/E/G ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 1.57. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $445.15 and its 200 day moving average price is $412.11. 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 52 week low of $305.44 and a 52 week high of $486.47.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.88 by $0.42. The firm had revenue of $2.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.16 billion. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 12.36% and a return on equity of 37.54%. The company's revenue was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.45 earnings per share. 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 13.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Monday, August 17th will be issued 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 dividend payout ratio is currently 57.38%.

Rockwell Automation declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, June 9th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the industrial products company to buy up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In related news, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 1,250 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $387.50, for a total value of $484,375.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 1,734 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $671,925. This trade represents a 41.89% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 4,024 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $451.97, for a total value of $1,818,727.28. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 134 shares of the company's stock, valued at $60,563.98. The trade was a 96.78% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 12,308 shares of company stock valued at $5,339,812. Insiders own 0.76% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines 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

Rockwell Automation Company Profile

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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