Virtu Financial LLC Acquires New Holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK

Key Points

• Virtu Financial LLC initiated a new position in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter, buying 11,146 shares valued at about $4.34 million.
• Rockwell Automation reported better-than-expected Q1 earnings, with EPS of $3.30 versus $2.88 expected, and revenue of $2.24 billion, up 11.9% from a year earlier.
• The company’s board approved a $1 billion share repurchase program and also declared a quarterly dividend of $1.38 per share, implying a 1.2% yield.

Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 11,146 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $4,337,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC increased its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 3,719 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,544,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. boosted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 1,412 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $549,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the period. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV grew its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 1,446 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $563,000 after buying an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,202 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $468,000 after buying an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Equitable Trust Co. grew its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 2,598 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $908,000 after buying an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.75% of the company's stock.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

NYSE ROK opened at $474.16 on Friday. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $305.44 and a 12 month high of $475.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.76 billion, a PE ratio of 49.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 1.57. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $436.49 and its 200 day simple moving average is $409.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 0.76.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The industrial products company reported $3.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.88 by $0.42. The firm had revenue of $2.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.16 billion. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 37.54% and a net margin of 12.36%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.45 earnings per share. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.500-13.100 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation announced that its board has approved 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 purchase 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 shares are undervalued.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio is 57.38%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Rockwell Automation news, SVP Christopher Nardecchia sold 2,538 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $446.43, for a total value of $1,133,039.34. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 14,232 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,353,591.76. The trade was a 15.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal 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. Also, VP John M. Miller sold 1,054 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $426.02, for a total transaction of $449,025.08. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 5,615 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,392,102.30. This trade represents a 15.80% 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 12,308 shares of company stock valued at $5,339,812. 0.76% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on ROK shares. HSBC lifted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $445.00 to $490.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Rockwell Automation from $448.00 to $487.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. KeyCorp raised their price target on Rockwell Automation from $470.00 to $510.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $435.00 to $410.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $454.05.

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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