M&G PLC Makes New Investment in Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK

M&G PLC purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 23,463 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,790,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. raised its position in Rockwell Automation by 48.7% during the 2nd quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 116 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the second quarter valued at $39,000. IMA Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation during the 1st quarter worth about $32,000. AdvisorShares Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 2nd quarter valued at about $50,000. Finally, Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 862.5% in the second quarter. Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 154 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Rockwell Automation Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of Rockwell Automation stock opened at $393.79 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $352.87 and a 200 day moving average of $335.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.22, a PEG ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.45. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $215.00 and a fifty-two week high of $398.20.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The industrial products company reported $3.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.94 by $0.40. The business had revenue of $2.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.19 billion. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.14% and a net margin of 12.03%.The company’s revenue was up 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.47 EPS. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.200-12.200 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 17th will be given a dividend of $1.38 per share. This is a boost from Rockwell Automation’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.31. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 17th. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 72.06%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ROK has been the subject of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $370.00 to $417.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $391.00 target price on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $375.00 price target (up previously from $350.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $385.00 to $435.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $364.75.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Rockwell Automation news, CEO Blake D. Moret sold 61,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $391.56, for a total value of $24,159,252.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 83,873 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $32,841,311.88. The trade was a 42.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Isaac Woods sold 250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.00, for a total value of $87,500.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 1,662 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $581,700. This represents a 13.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 92,075 shares of company stock worth $34,820,361. Insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

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.