Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) SVP Matthew Fordenwalt Sells 359 Shares

Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) SVP Matthew Fordenwalt sold 359 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $401.02, for a total transaction of $143,966.18. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 4,170 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,672,253.40. This trade represents a 7.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Rockwell Automation Trading Up 2.6%

Shares of Rockwell Automation stock opened at $410.97 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $370.46 and its 200 day moving average is $349.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.14 billion, a PE ratio of 53.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.50. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 1 year low of $215.00 and a 1 year high of $413.04. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.94 by $0.40. The firm had revenue of $4.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.19 billion. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 10.42% and a return on equity of 32.69%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.47 earnings per share. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.200-12.200 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 17th were given a $1.38 dividend. This is a boost from Rockwell Automation’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.31. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 17th. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is 72.06%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rockwell Automation

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 7.1% during the 3rd quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 440 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $154,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Equitable Trust Co. raised its stake in Rockwell Automation by 1.1% in the third quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 2,598 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $908,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG grew its position in Rockwell Automation by 2.2% in the third quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG now owns 1,384 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $484,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc grew its position in Rockwell Automation by 3.6% during the third quarter. Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc now owns 902 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $315,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC lifted its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 1,015 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $355,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on ROK. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $391.00 price target on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Friday, November 7th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $392.00 to $402.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research report on Monday. Wall Street Zen upgraded Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, September 21st. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $417.00 to $435.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $390.33.

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.