Insider Selling: Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) VP Sells 4,024 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Rockwell Automation VP Terry Riesterer sold 4,024 shares on May 7 at an average price of $451.97, totaling about $1.82 million. After the sale, he retained just 134 shares, a 96.78% reduction in his position.
• The company reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $3.30 versus analyst estimates of $2.88 and revenue of $2.24 billion versus $2.16 billion expected. Revenue rose 11.9% year over year, and Rockwell also raised its FY2026 guidance.
• ROK shares traded up 1.0% to $453.17, near the stock’s 52-week high of $463.48. Analysts remain mostly constructive, with several firms raising price targets and the consensus rating standing at Moderate Buy.

Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) VP Terry Riesterer sold 4,024 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $451.97, for a total transaction of $1,818,727.28. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 134 shares in the company, valued at approximately $60,563.98. This represents a 96.78% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Rockwell Automation Trading Up 1.0%

ROK stock traded up $4.62 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $453.17. The company's stock had a trading volume of 896,579 shares, compared to its average volume of 939,370. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1 year low of $290.14 and a 1 year high of $463.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.11, a PEG ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 1.56. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $386.73 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $392.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 1.09.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The industrial products company reported $3.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.88 by $0.42. The company had revenue of $2.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.16 billion. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 12.36% and a return on equity of 37.54%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.45 EPS. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.500-13.100 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 12.76 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 18th will be paid a dividend of $1.38 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 18th. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 57.38%.

Key Rockwell Automation News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Rockwell’s earnings beat and raised FY2026 guidance continue to drive investor optimism about growth and margins. Why Rockwell Automation (ROK) Is Up After Raising 2026 Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts have been lifting price targets following the strong quarter, which supports the stock’s momentum. Analysts Raise Their Forecasts Following Upbeat Q2 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary is framing Rockwell as a beneficiary of AI, data-center, and automation spending, which can strengthen the longer-term growth story. Rockwell Automation: Benefiting From The AI Data Center Surge
• Neutral Sentiment: Several insiders sold shares under pre-arranged trading plans, which is worth watching but does not necessarily signal a fundamental change. Executive Insider Sale Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Rockwell disclosed cyber and third-party data-privacy risks tied to its global IT and cloud reliance, a longer-term risk that could weigh on valuation if concerns build. New Cyber / Data Privacy Risk Disclosure

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on ROK shares. KeyCorp boosted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $470.00 to $510.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $525.00 target price on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Wednesday. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their price target on Rockwell Automation from $365.00 to $378.00 in a research note on Wednesday. Oppenheimer downgraded Rockwell Automation from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane increased their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $495.00 to $515.00 in a report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $438.70.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rockwell Automation

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Richards Merrill & Peterson Inc. raised its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 1.9% during the first quarter. Richards Merrill & Peterson Inc. now owns 1,358 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $487,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Rockwell Automation by 4.6% during the first quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. now owns 574 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $206,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC raised its position in Rockwell Automation by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 3,719 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,544,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. raised its position in 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 acquiring an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV raised its position in Rockwell Automation by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 1,446 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $563,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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