Forsta AP Fonden Reduces Stake in Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK

Forsta AP Fonden lessened its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 23,300 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 300 shares during the period. Forsta AP Fonden’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $7,740,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its stake in Rockwell Automation by 720.8% in the second quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 399,309 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $132,638,000 after purchasing an additional 350,662 shares during the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 1st quarter valued at $73,908,000. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 1st quarter valued at $63,632,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 213.7% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 357,080 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $92,263,000 after buying an additional 243,249 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in Rockwell Automation by 1,950.4% during the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 202,788 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $67,360,000 after acquiring an additional 192,898 shares in the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Shares of ROK opened at $379.15 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.50, a P/E/G ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.06. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1 year low of $215.00 and a 1 year high of $398.20. The company’s fifty day moving average is $353.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $335.45.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The industrial products company reported $3.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.94 by $0.40. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 12.03% and a return on equity of 30.14%. The business had revenue of $2.32 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.47 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.200-12.200 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 17th will be issued a $1.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 17th. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. This is a boost from Rockwell Automation’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.31. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is presently 72.06%.

Insider Activity at Rockwell Automation

In related news, SVP Cyril Perducat sold 1,435 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $348.08, for a total transaction of $499,494.80. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 3,787 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,318,178.96. This represents a 27.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director James P. Keane sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.06, for a total value of $1,068,180.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 9,192 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,272,903.52. The trade was a 24.61% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 92,075 shares of company stock worth $34,820,361 in the last three months. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ROK has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Barclays raised their price target on Rockwell Automation from $370.00 to $417.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $391.00 price target on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, KeyCorp increased their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $370.00 to $380.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $364.75.

Rockwell Automation Company Profile

Rockwell Automation, Inc provides industrial automation and digital transformation solutions in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Latin America. The company operates through three segments, Intelligent Devices, Software & Control, and Lifecycle Services. Its solutions include hardware and software products and services.