Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK Shares Purchased by HighTower Advisors LLC

HighTower Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 27.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 137,244 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 29,649 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $53,398,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ raised its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 7.1% in the third quarter. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ now owns 61,834 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $21,613,000 after acquiring an additional 4,086 shares in the last quarter. Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter valued at $1,556,000. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in Rockwell Automation by 180.5% in the third quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 5,842 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,042,000 after buying an additional 3,759 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its stake in Rockwell Automation by 20.7% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 744,814 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $291,073,000 after buying an additional 127,733 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in Rockwell Automation by 911.0% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 91,808 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $35,720,000 after buying an additional 82,727 shares in the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Rockwell Automation Stock Up 3.2%

ROK opened at $435.89 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $396.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $397.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 1.09. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a one year low of $298.70 and a one year high of $463.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $48.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.56.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The industrial products company reported $3.30 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.88 by $0.42. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 37.54% and a net margin of 12.36%.The business had revenue of $2.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.16 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.45 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.500-13.100 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 13.01 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.38 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 18th. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 57.38%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Christopher Nardecchia sold 14,465 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $410.01, for a total transaction of $5,930,794.65. Following the transaction, the senior vice president 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 4,024 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $451.97, for a total value of $1,818,727.28. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 134 shares in the company, valued at approximately $60,563.98. This represents a 96.78% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 59,087 shares of company stock valued at $24,296,483. Insiders own 0.76% of the company’s stock.

Key Rockwell Automation News

Here are the key news stories impacting Rockwell Automation this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Rockwell’s latest investor presentation at the Wolfe Research Global Transportation & Industrials Conference likely kept attention on the company’s strategy and outlook, reinforcing the bull case for industrial automation. Rockwell Automation, Inc. (ROK) Presents at Wolfe Research 19th Annual Global Transportation & Industrials Conference Transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised earnings estimates across multiple future periods, including FY2027 and FY2028, signaling expectations for stronger profit growth ahead. Higher EPS forecasts often support a stock’s valuation.
• Positive Sentiment: Rockwell’s new global manufacturing study found that 90% of manufacturers now say digital transformation is essential, a constructive trend for Rockwell’s automation, software, and digital solutions business. 90% of Manufacturers Say Digital Transformation Is Now Essential, According to New Global Study
• Positive Sentiment: The company reported strong recent quarterly results, with earnings and revenue beating expectations and management guiding FY2026 EPS above many investors’ assumptions, which continues to underpin sentiment.
• Neutral Sentiment: A Zacks-style momentum writeup highlighted Rockwell as a long-term momentum stock, but this is more of a sentiment/ratings piece than a new operational catalyst. Why Rockwell Automation (ROK) is a Top Momentum Stock for the Long-Term
• Neutral Sentiment: Several market commentary items and conference transcripts add to the news flow, but they do not appear to change Rockwell’s near-term fundamentals by themselves.
• Negative Sentiment: One MarketWatch item noted the stock underperformed peers earlier in the week, suggesting some short-term trading pressure before the newer positive updates. Rockwell Automation Inc. stock underperforms Monday when compared to competitors

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on ROK shares. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and issued a $380.00 price target (down from $490.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. HSBC raised their price target on Rockwell Automation from $445.00 to $490.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $360.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Stephens lifted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $425.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $466.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $449.16.

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.