Meeder Asset Management Inc. Makes New Investment in Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK

Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 14,122 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,992,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Rockwell Automation during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Rockwell Automation by 97.5% in the 4th quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 79 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Corp bought a new position in Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. bought a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, TD Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Rockwell Automation Stock Performance

Shares of ROK stock opened at $445.69 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $49.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.54. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a 52 week low of $332.71 and a 52 week high of $497.36. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $463.60 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $426.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.08.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $3.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.38 by $0.11. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 39.83% and a net margin of 13.39%.The firm had revenue of $2.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.24 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.82 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.000-13.300 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 13.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, June 9th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the industrial products company to purchase up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Monday, August 17th will be issued a dividend of $1.38 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 17th. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.73%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP John M. Miller sold 1,054 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $426.02, for a total transaction of $449,025.08. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 5,615 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,392,102.30. This trade represents a 15.80% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Matthew W. Fordenwalt sold 377 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $460.51, for a total transaction of $173,612.27. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 4,437 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,043,282.87. This represents a 7.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders have sold 1,649 shares of company stock worth $722,119. Company insiders own 0.76% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ROK has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Rockwell Automation from $360.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Robert W. Baird set a $514.00 price objective on Rockwell Automation in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $470.00 to $510.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $468.67.

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.