Securian Asset Management Inc. Sells 2,405 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK

Securian Asset Management Inc. reduced its holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 43.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,094 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 2,405 shares during the quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $1,204,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth $281,000. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 75.9% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 8,139 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,059,000 after purchasing an additional 3,513 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 142.7% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 7,305 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,887,000 after buying an additional 4,295 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 233.6% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,878 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $484,000 after buying an additional 1,315 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jump Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the second quarter valued at about $868,000. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Rockwell Automation Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of Rockwell Automation stock opened at $455.22 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $389.61 and a 200 day simple moving average of $394.18. The stock has a market cap of $50.65 billion, a PE ratio of 47.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 1.56. 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, Inc. has a 12 month low of $298.70 and a 12 month high of $463.48.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The industrial products company reported $3.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.88 by $0.42. The firm had revenue of $2.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.16 billion. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 37.54% and a net margin of 12.36%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter 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. Research analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 13 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ROK has been the topic of several research reports. Argus upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $380.00 target price (down from $490.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Evercore upped their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $440.00 to $480.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $525.00 price target on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $360.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. 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.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $438.70.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Christopher Nardecchia sold 14,465 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $410.01, for a total transaction of $5,930,794.65. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 14,232 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,835,262.32. This trade represents a 50.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Rebecca W. House sold 12,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $404.27, for a total transaction of $4,891,667.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 12,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,932,094. This trade represents a 49.79% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 59,087 shares of company stock valued at $24,296,483. 0.76% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.