Strategic Global Advisors LLC Takes $12.21 Million Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK

Strategic Global Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 24,661 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,209,000. Rockwell Automation accounts for about 1.7% of Strategic Global Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Flputnam Investment Management Co. bought a new position in Rockwell Automation in the second quarter worth $1,001,000. Mandatum Life Insurance Co Ltd grew its position in Rockwell Automation by 26.9% in the first quarter. Mandatum Life Insurance Co Ltd now owns 22,200 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $7,967,000 after acquiring an additional 4,700 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter worth $281,000. Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its stake in Rockwell Automation by 24.6% during the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 169,457 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $65,931,000 after acquiring an additional 33,413 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 197.9% during the fourth quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 13,905 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,410,000 after acquiring an additional 9,238 shares during the period. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $448.00 to $487.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $555.00 to $536.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $365.00 to $378.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Robert W. Baird set a $514.00 target price on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, HSBC upped their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $445.00 to $490.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $468.19.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Shares of Rockwell Automation stock opened at $432.44 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $460.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $427.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The company has a market capitalization of $48.02 billion, a PE ratio of 40.53, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.54. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $332.71 and a 12 month high of $497.36.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $3.49 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.38 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $2.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.24 billion. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 13.39% and a return on equity of 39.83%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.82 EPS. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.000-13.300 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 13.21 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Monday, August 17th will be given a $1.38 dividend. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. Rockwell Automation’s payout ratio is currently 51.73%.

Rockwell Automation announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, June 9th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the industrial products company to buy up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Rockwell Automation news, CFO Christian E. Rothe sold 590 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $434.30, for a total value of $256,237.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 10,429 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,529,314.70. This trade represents a 5.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, SVP Matthew W. Fordenwalt sold 377 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $460.51, for a total value of $173,612.27. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 4,437 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,043,282.87. This trade represents a 7.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,185 shares of company stock valued at $529,331. Company insiders own 0.76% of the company’s stock.

About Rockwell Automation

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.