Sterling Capital Management LLC Sells 66,881 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. $ROK

Sterling Capital Management LLC cut its position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 19.2% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 280,574 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 66,881 shares during the period. Rockwell Automation accounts for approximately 1.3% of Sterling Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest holding. Sterling Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $93,198,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of ROK. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. grew its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 720.8% in the 2nd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 399,309 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $132,638,000 after buying an additional 350,662 shares during the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Rockwell Automation in the first quarter valued at approximately $73,908,000. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation in the first quarter worth $63,632,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 213.7% during the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 357,080 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $92,263,000 after purchasing an additional 243,249 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 1,950.4% during the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 202,788 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $67,360,000 after purchasing an additional 192,898 shares during the last quarter. 75.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on ROK shares. KeyCorp raised their price target on Rockwell Automation from $370.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $375.00 price target (up previously from $350.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Barclays lifted their target price on Rockwell Automation from $357.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $320.00 to $357.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, September 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $347.94.

Rockwell Automation Trading Up 2.9%

Shares of Rockwell Automation stock opened at $373.20 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $349.11 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $330.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.06. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $215.00 and a fifty-two week high of $396.89. The company has a market cap of $41.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.45.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The industrial products company reported $3.34 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 business’s revenue was up 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.47 earnings per share. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.200-12.200 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 17th will be paid a dividend of $1.38 per share. This is a boost from Rockwell Automation’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.31. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 17th. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is presently 64.79%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Rockwell Automation news, SVP Cyril Perducat sold 1,435 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $348.08, for a total value of $499,494.80. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 3,787 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,318,178.96. This represents a 27.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Isaac Woods sold 250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 in the company, valued at approximately $581,700. This represents a 13.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 30,375 shares of company stock valued at $10,661,109. Corporate 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.