Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Buys 3,886 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK

Key Points

• Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its stake in Rockwell Automation by 0.4% in the first quarter, buying 3,886 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 981,885 shares worth about $352.4 million.
• Rockwell Automation reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $3.30 beating estimates and revenue of $2.24 billion topping forecasts. The company also raised FY 2026 guidance to 12.50–13.10 EPS.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.38 per share and a new $1 billion share repurchase program, signaling confidence in its financial position and stock value.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 0.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 981,885 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,886 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned 0.87% of Rockwell Automation worth $352,379,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Lmcg Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Lmcg Investments LLC now owns 41,915 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $15,042,000 after purchasing an additional 385 shares during the last quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. boosted its stake in Rockwell Automation by 19.0% in the 1st quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. now owns 1,879 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $674,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Addison Capital Co grew its position in Rockwell Automation by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. Addison Capital Co now owns 5,916 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,123,000 after purchasing an additional 261 shares during the last quarter. Clare Market Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the 1st quarter valued at about $1,646,000. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. increased its stake in Rockwell Automation by 4.9% during the 1st quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 2,460 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $903,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Rockwell Automation Stock Down 1.0%

ROK opened at $464.26 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.26, a PEG ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 1.54. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $456.21 and a 200-day moving average price of $416.47. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $305.44 and a twelve month high of $497.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last issued its 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 company had revenue of $2.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.16 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.45 earnings per share. 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. Equities research analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 13.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

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

Rockwell Automation declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase program 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 buy up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on ROK. Mizuho set a $445.00 target price on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $400.00 to $480.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. BNP Paribas Exane boosted their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $495.00 to $515.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $404.00 to $417.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Evercore increased their target price on Rockwell Automation from $440.00 to $480.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $466.71.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Rockwell Automation news, VP John M. Miller sold 1,054 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $426.02, for a total value of $449,025.08. Following the transaction, the vice president directly 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, VP Scott Genereux sold 550 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $447.73, for a total value of $246,251.50. Following the sale, the vice president owned 2,764 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,237,525.72. This represents a 16.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 a total of 10,759 shares of company stock valued at $4,748,096 over the last ninety days. 0.76% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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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